The Line That Divides
by srghostarc11
Summary: When the line that divides each universe in the Multiverse threatens to break, Finn must embark on a journey to defeat the Ice Prince; and not without dire consequences. To make matters worse, a certain hooded boy keeps meddling with him. Who is this so called 'The Third Pillar? - "Look at what she make you give."
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Adventure Time. Heck, I do not even own some elements of the story.

~~o~~

**Prologue - Through Time and Space**

Finn stared at the sleeping form of Marceline. He was glad Princess Bubblegum finally fixed her Time Machine to turn back the vampire to her regular, perpetually teenage self. Ever since the three of them operated the machine, with Marceline as the test subject, they did not anticipated that it will turn her into a baby. The machine was supposed to send Marcy approximately 1000 years back into the past.

_I wonder what PB even hoped to achieve with that machine?_

Finn suddenly felt an urge to kiss the vampire's cheek, which he did discreetly. Still, Marceline slept on, snoring softly while laying prone on the hospital bed instead of floating as usual. Finn hoped everything will be alright with her. For the past months that he cared for baby Marceline, he saw a different side to the vampire. It made him realized that she was once human, at least part-human, a vulnerable being like him.

_I wonder if you will remember of any this? I hope she didn't mind me kissing her. I mean, she always did it to me! What's the difference? Friends do that._

"Hey Peebles?"

"What is it Finn?"

"Next time you create another Time Machine, get a proper babysitter first! Haha."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't tell me you didn't liked caring for Little- "

"I do. I just don't think I can handle another situation like that. I'm just 15, Peebubs, what the heck?"

_Well it was fun while it lasted. I wonder if somehow Marceline will remember the events after that failed Time Machine?_

"I've got to go now Pribbles, Jake and I need to clean up our Tree Fort. You know? With all the baby things...Say hi to Marceline for me when she wakes up!"

"Bye, Finn!" The princess gave her a sweet smile with matching wave, which he returned with more or less the same fervor as he twisted the knob of door leading to the halls, and out of the Candy Castle.

_I'll promise you this Marceline. I'll be the first one you'll see when you open your eyes._

Looking down at Licorice Street, Finn noticed that Candy Kingdom did not changed at all throughout his short years of existence. Well, he couldn't really imagine himself living in another world without candy people and Rainicorns and talking rocks. It is exactly the same kingdom that welcomed him and and his magical dog brother six years ago. Finn can't help but smile at the memories that surfaced from surveying the streets. He waved at Root Beer Guy who walked past him hurriedly, suitcase in tow.

"Looks like he's in a hurry again, huh?"

Somehow he could see himself in that sentient glass of fuzzy drink; the same enthusiasm to serve the Princess they shared. Although Finn admitted to himself that he was being rather unmotivated within the past months, barely pushing himself to get by because of Little Marcy. In those times of darkest and pained moments because of Flame Princess, the little vampire was like a ray of sunshine. Shaking away the unhappy thoughts, his eyes landed on an old and battered picket fence.

"Man, I remember trying to bite off a lump of PB's hair when I was a toddler. Shee just laughed at me, but gave a small piece anyway." He can recall how it smelled so sweet even then, he just can't remember the taste though. Maybe he did not ate it then? Something about Jake telling him its sick...

To tell the truth, the same fascination Finn held when he was younger never left him, and some part of his being wished Little Marcy kinda "grew up" like him in this wonderful kingdom, this bright and colorful world; instead of being turned back into her normal self and then regaining back all the horrific memories she accumulated during the Mushroom War.

_Maybe it is for the better anyway, and what the fluff am I doing here skulking? I've got to go and check up on Jake!_

He fixed his bear hat absentmindedly and shifted the weight in his feet. Finn started to walk casually, then gradually turned it in to a run; only to slow down to a stroll again. Sometimes, Finn wondered, what would be his life if things were different. _If humans never became nearly extinct, if I had human parents, and..._

~~o~~

After everything he sacrificed to be united with his princess again, the world just wouldn't let him have his happily ever after. Just like those fairy tales they used to read together, not every story ends well.

.._them._

After spending a thousand year in searching for a way to revive her, the price is nothing but more sacrifice. Maybe the world deemed that ordeal wasn't enough, suffering hundred years of humiliation and defeat by so-called heroes that roamed this accursed land, he was doomed to fail too.

_...wrath to obliterate injustice. Can you feel it? The unfairness of it all?_

He could feel it. He could dang well hear it. He could feel and hear the promise of power the crown bestowed upon him. It was unlike the power over frost he once had. No, it was much greater, much much greater. Who cares about those puny jewels this crown once had? That demon halfling might as well stick those jewels up her...

..._hole._

The crown melted. He panicked for a moment, thinking that something went wrong. But no, the molten gold cascaded down towards his mechanical right arm. In just few seconds, it was completely enveloped by gold. Cold gold. Who cares about a crown, anyway? He could feel the coldness creep up his veins, whispering words to fuel his revenge on this world; this world that took everything from him.

..._whole world._

This universe.

_..ight._

And any other universe that exist.

_...right. To make things right, sometimes you have to break them. Wipe them. Wipe all existence for me, for you and me..._

The air around his new mechanical arm solidified in to a frigid ice blade that seemed to freeze even his own breath. Or was it the the time and space around him? Visions of an endless hallway washed away his other thoughts.

_Then we'll start anew...my dear Ice Prince._

~~o~~

The sun shone down happily down Ooo, but Finn can barely feel the heat. He felt a bit cold inside, for whatever reason that is. A shiver ran down his spine. _This is absolutely crazy. Face it Finn, something's wrong with you. Well, maybe._

"Maybe I'm about to get sick? Heck no, I need to be beside Marceline when she recovers..."

The Tree Fort loomed over him in the distance. Its shadow seemed more ominous than usual. Finn felt something in his guts, and he always relied on them. He absentmindedly reached for the sword in his back, forgetting he doesn't have any. He berated himself for not being able to find a suitable replacement for their broken family heirloom, the Demon Blood Sword.

_Is the Ice King causing trouble again? No...these feels different, oh Grod._

Finn just can't bring with him the Root Sword Jake gave him for his birthday. It's too precious to wear down on enemies unworthy of slicing apart. But still...it would be a lot better than the Grass Sword he tried wielding months ago ago. That thing proved to be more trouble than its worth. At first, the Grass Sword obeyed his thoughts, coiling and uncoiling at the slightest thought. That is until recently, it started to wrap around his arm tightly and sometimes waking him up in the middle of the night. Jake, fearing that his hand will be amputated, helped Finn in destroying the cursed blade of grass.

_Finn! I thought you can control it now? Look at your arm! Its red all over!_

_Jake! I can't even feel my own arm! Help me bro!"_

_Oh snap, I knew this sword is nothing but trouble..._

Together, on Flambo's tip, they raided an abandoned ruins near the outskirts of Fire Kingdom that legend says held the Essence of Ancestral Flames. Turns out it was a small pink fire that instantly burned away the cursed weapon upon the slightest touch.

It was the day he was freed from the curse. It was also the day he saw an actual show of affection between Flame Princess and Cinnamon Bun. Finn cringed bitterly at the thought. He vowed then that he would stay away from the fiery vicinity of the kingdom.

_Are you happy now, Princess?_

"Finn! Thank Glob you're finally here dude! In the kitchen, with me! C'mon!"

"Woah! Cool it, Jake! What happened?"

His friend just ignored his question and stretched himself back into their Tree Fort. "Hey wait! Why don't you just let me ride you if we are in a hurry?"

_Glob, sometimes I hate myself for destroying Scarlet in that stupid black hole. That golden sword would be handy right now._

Realizing something or someone might be in trouble, he ran towards their house and dive rolled into their kitchen, weaponless but with a battle cry at full volume. That is, until he realize a flat, shadow-like person happens to be inside their house. Oh, he's also pink.

_And what's up with that giant jar of pickles?_

"You look familiar..."

~~o~~

"Just one more bolt and nut here and we're...set!" Princess Bubblegum wasted no time in repairing the damaged Time Machine. The process of turning bac Marceline to her former self have put so much strain on the moving parts of the machine, especially the two rings that form the Time Sphere.

She knew she wouldn't really want to use the Time Machine anytime again soon. It needed more tests on non-living subjects before trying it on her friends. The real purpose of the Time Machine was to send the subject matter approximately 1000 years back into the past, a transporter in a sense. Instead, it recalibrated the age of the subject approximately 1000 years backwards. Any mortal being would have ceased to exist altogether and she was really glad it wasn't Finn who was on the machine that day.

"I almost lost a true hero, I guess."

After finishing in the lab, she went back to her original task of the day; caring for Marceline. Her friend slept peacefully at the private room of the Candy Kingdom Hospital, not a care in the world. It made her realize how she almost lost a dear friend, one she knew for hundreds of years, because of her silly and pointless tinkering with time.

_And my envy with Ice King's successful time portal._

"I won't let that happen again." _And I promise, I'll spend more time with you, Marceline. _

~~o~~

**How was it for the prologue? I'm having a real trouble because this story might alienate those who did not yet read the "parent" stories. Please help me with some feedbacks guys! Thanks again to the authors who gave me permissions!**

This story will borrow a lot of elements from the following fanfictions, so you should probably read them to fully enjoy this one:

1000 Years Back by RawrRoarRawr (required)

Tales of the Alternate Universe by SCIK1012 (HIGHLY required)

Citadel of Truth by Ooobserver (HIGHLY required)

And also my two other stories (highly optional)


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Adventure Time. If I do, it would suck a lot.

~~o~~

Chapter 1 - The Third Pillar

The hellish landscape stretched on and on as far as Sawyer's eyes could see. The sickly green sky pressed on him as usual. It has been like this since he first knew how to walk without Miss Bonnie guiding him. Sometimes, Sawyer have a hard time believing that his mad elder brother caused the end of the world. _Well, maybe...end of civilization seems more fitting, seeing that the world , this stupid and worthless world, still exists. Nice job, bro. _

_When will you be back to finish the job?_

Sawyer nearly tripped on a can of unidentifyable processed food. It looked like a piece of brown turd, if he ask himself. _Which I do more often than what's healthy. _He turned it over its side and saw an almost faded expiration date.

"Crap, it's seven years pass expiration date..."

Food is food, he thought, and placed the can on his empty knapsack; its left strap busted again because of the weight. He groaned in annoyance. Then he groaned some more. His feet hurt, his stomach hurts, his eyes are sore, and the air he breathe is possibly dangerous. Scratch that, positively dangerous. His green (_wait, it's green? I don't remember) _knapsack has no business busting up. Hell, no.

Out of pure outburst, he reached inside and threw the spoiled food in to the wreckage of an alley mall. He alarmingly felt tired and extremely pissed off from that simple act. These days he's fast becoming more irritable. Miss Bonnie (_wait ,its Mistress Bonnie) _said it's only because he's in his adolescent years. She said he will turn fifteen in two weeks time.

_Not that I still kept track of time though._

He frantically searched around the rubble for a sign of the can. Picking up debris proved dangerous though, numerous cuts decorated his hands in few moments. Great. Now he'll add tetanus for his growing list of ways to die. That's if he won't die off starvation first, or some kind of disease. The meager vegetables Mistress Bonnie managed to grow doesn't exactly thrived on healthy grounds. They look suspicious too.

"Darn it!" Sawyer was surprised with the coarseness of his voice. It's been days since he spoke out loud like that. _I'm hungry, I'm thirsty, I'm sick, I'm tired, I'm lonely, I'm hopeless, I'm angry ,and now I'm about to have a sore throat. Oh yeah, my eyes are sore too._

_I raise my middle finger to you bro, wherever you are. No, make it two middle fingers._

He swore when he finally get his filthy hands on that piece of dirtbag, murder will be the first and last crime he will commit. He was even happy to have reasons in widening the scope of his supply raids. That way, he could have more chance in finally seeing his brother. That is also the reason why he always go on supply raids on his own, much to his Mistress' discomfort.

_Heh, at this rate, there wouldn't be much mouths to feed back in New Junktown. _Some just drop dead mere minutes after talking with their loved ones. Some just explode in to series of violent coughs, vomit a lot of blood and guts, then drop dead. Some folks have it easier though, they just no longer wake up in the morning. Heck, even his Mistress leaked some blood out of the corner of her mouth during one of their nights of passion. Sawyer actually tasted it, much to his disgust.

Then, there are those who just disappeared overnight. Sawyer find this people dumb. Why would you risk your life out into the wastelands just to find and join these so-called well-to-do settlements? These recent talk of "greenish people" sounds like a fairy tale to him; wishful thinking, more like. Also, if they were even true, why would he trust people with green skin? Green skin screams RADIATION, for God's sake.

_Better be safe than sorry._

So at that rate, there would be fewer people to divide the dwindling supplies with. They do get harder to locate everytime he set out. Every raid forces him to search farther and farther from the camp. Walking through desolate ruins wouldn't be too bad if not for the matter of certain dangers lurking in this crappy world.

"That is why I'm not giving up on you, turd-in-a-can! I'm sorry I threw you away!"

He laughed at his own pathetic inside joke, which further irritated his throat. That is until he remembered that supply raids are suppose to be quiet. No one would want to attract _their_ attention. The Fallen, as what old Choose Bruce chose to cheesily name them.

"Dang it bro, you still owe me the world, our parents, Bartram, Mrs. Oldy-whatsisname, and now you're going to owe me a moldy can of food. THAT'S FRIGGING A LOT YOU SICK FREAK!" Sawyer temporarily forgot to lower his voice again and shouted the last bit up the bleak sky. Clasping his hands to his mouth, Sawyer held his breath in anticipation for attacks. Sometimes, silence is the best way in dealing with death. Like a two-faced coin, you may avoid premature death or at least you die peacefully.

Sure enough, a low groan emanated from an upturned ambulance farther down the road near the city hospital. He froze in fear. If he was just able to eat some lunch, Sawyer could probably overpower one with his machete. These folks aren't terribly strong and rather squishy, you just have to avoid the green goos they leak all over their mutated bodies.

But he did not ate lunch. _Heck, it's been two days since my last lunch. Man, if you could call Mistress' strange beans lunch._

And the Fallen need no lunch to kill him, for that matter. Mustering up the last of his will to back away slowly, Sawyer scanned the immediate area to hide. A rusty sedan caught his attention so he crept towards it as quiet as he could. The crap world is perpetually dark. Black in the night, and dim at best for the rest of the day. He was really thankful that these things have no supernatural visions, it is rather easy to hide in the dark and avoid them. That is until he almost came face to face to another Fallen inside the car.

If there was such a thing as silent scream in the old world, Sawyer is very sure he rediscovered it in the crap world.

With nothing but fragile glass that separates him and the former human.

With the low groan coming from behind.

Sawyer's sure this day won't go anymore crappy than it is already, until he saw the rest of their brethren tumbling down the ruined walls of a strip mall. It was sure a gruesome sight; these folks are hard to imagine as former humans. Radioactive goo steadily drips from the numerous holes in their bodies, some have extra limbs while others have misplaced ones. Some doesn't even have any.

Forgetting the spoiled food, Sawyer turned and broke in to a run. For better or otherwise, he have no idea. He can outrun them, but not for long. Soon, his malnourished bod will run out of steam. To his chagrin, Mistress Bonnie said adrenaline will make things worse. _C'mon Sawyer, you wimp, control your breathing...relax, butterflies, puppies, daisies, kitties, pus - _

Something far ahead caught his attention, and it's in the general direction of their neighboring settlement. It seemed...wrong. The place looks wrong. Shrugging the feeling, he used his remaining strength to sprint towards the settlement. Sawyer could get help there.

_Or get them killed._

The mutants seemed to have gained in number, he noticed. But surely these people have somthing to defend themselves? Either way, it isn't his problem. He's determined to pass on the problem anyway. Suddenly, something green zipped past him, narrowly missing his head. He looked back and saw, to his horror, that one of the mutants is gaining fast upon him. Sawyer never knew they could launch their juices from afar, and if all of the five mutants chasing him now could do that...he can not think of any other worse situation.

"Shit!"

A rather solid iron fence blocked his way. The patten knitted to closely that climbing it will be quite hard. Without breaking his momentum, he leaped and managed to have a nice hold on the fence. The former humans started to converge below him as he picked up his pace in getting to the other side. The bastards start to shake the fence, intentionally or not, he doesn't know. With one last grunting effort, he hoisted both of his legs and let go. The knapsack protecting his back from potential grazes from the iron fence, he plummeted ten feet below into the hard earth.

"Damn...that actually hurt!" A jolt shot up his left foot and his teeth grind together painfully. Looks like he needs to practice his landings more if he wish to continue doing supply raids.

He rolled down the slope he failed to notice earlier and smacked hard facefirst into a wooden picket fence. He rolled over again, letting the non-existent breeze whip his stinging face. Sawyer imagined himself looking like a prone and bloody goldfish taken out of the water. He engulfed air greedily, already feeling lightheaded. Shaking away the weakening effects of fading adrenaline, he sat upright and surveyed his surroundings.

He's in a classic pre-End suburbs, if the pictures Mistress Bonnie showed him are accurate. This settlers have it easier then. They don't have to live in raggedy tents like the settlers of New Junktown. He wiped the blood from his left cheek.

The place seems eerily quiet. Too quiet. Sawyer knows that silence has been the most important law of the new world. It is the absolute, if a settlement hoped to survive. But to his growing fear, the silence in the place is oppressive. Unnatural. He can't even hear mundane and unavoidable noises like wood being chopped, clanging utensils, muffled conversations and varying sounds of livestock.

"What is wrong with this place?" To his left, a moderately sized house stood with an open door. The lawn have long since been unmanaged. There were only patches of grass left, the hard and dark earth taking up more space. Sawyer started limping towards the mismanaged abode.

He limped as fast as he could towards the open door, hoping for someone to help him. He also hoped the mutants outside the iron fence won't attract too much attention. Sawyer shuddered at the thought of a ripped iron fence. That would be hellish.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, please somebody be there..." He muttered to himself, finally reaching the porch. From up close, the house look more unkempt than his initial thoughts. Cracked walls, loose floorboards, chaffing paint and dust rising from the floor.

_Maybe this isn't such a nice idea..._

He had always trusted his guts. Sometimes, gut feelings are as reliable as common sense. Presently, his gut feeling tells him to run away, climb over the iron fence, and try his chances with the mutants. "Well, I won't found out by standing here."

"Who's there?! I SWEAR IF YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE GUYS AGAIN, I'LL BLOW UP YOUR FACE!"

He gritted his teeth. The voice decidedly belongs to a woman. Probably around his age, basing on the shrilliness. "Huh, I don't have any idea who you're talking about gal. Don't get your panties in a bunch."

There was a sizeable pause before the girl replied. She's probably processing what he said. "Get up here, take the stairs beside the sofa."

Warily entering the house, instincts warn him with the sudden change in the girl's tone. He wondered what is her deal. Sawyer was never very trusting. The environment he grew up on demands it from him. It is the second most important law of the new world, after all.

"I just need somewhere to -"

"I won't give a damn what you need if you won't show me your face." Some hostility flared again in her tone. "Get up here and don't do anything funny. I'm armed!"

"Okay, okay...pssh. What a sourpous."

"I heard that, maggot!" Sawyer's very close to losing his cool with this girl. He hope she's worth every trouble. Dragging his feet up the rather creaky stairs, nervousness started to kick again. What if this girl is one crazy dolt? A scavenger? Or, God forbid, a cannibal? Those dudes are not cool at all. He remembered how he had been almost chopped alive by one, while holding salt shaker on his left hand.

Staying low to the wooden flight of stairs, he peeked slowly. Sawyer couldn't find her at first, feeling mildly annoyed. He stood up straight and explored his immediate surroundings. There were only two windows, both draped in stained curtains. The long hallway encases three doors, one left open. He approached it silently, cursing himself for making so much racket with the creaky stairs. His heartbeat started to go fast again.

_Should I draw my weapon? I don't want to go on in unprepared but I don't want her scared either. Both situations will probably get me killed. Maybe it's best if I take off my hood. She'll probably trust me more._

"Look, I'm not going to hurt you or anything. I just need somewhere to rest for the night. Where the hell are you?"

Suddenly, something cold and hard touched the back of his head.

"If you move, I'll have your grey matter decorate my wall." An audible click followed the girl's monologue.

_Maybe taking off my hood isn't such a hot idea._

_~~o~~_

That's it for chapter 1!

R&R guys!


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Adventure Time, time machines, citadels or Bartram. Bartram. Bartram. Bartram is cool.

~~o~~

Chapter 2 - Blades Must Clash

"Wait, wait, wait! Dude, you got to be kidding me?" Finn scratched his butt out of sheer confusion. "So you're saying I have carbon copies scattered around the universe?"

"No, Finn. They are you, with varying differences, and scattered across the multiverse. And all of them are in trouble." Prismo conjured a stack of sandwiches for Jake, who immediately dived into.

"Hey Prismo. Why don't you just do some zing and make my buddy remember everything?" Jake said in between chewing his fifth sandwich. Prismo stared at him thoughtfully for quite a long time.

It is indeed too hard for him to understand. He's full of stupid, as far as Finn is concerned. He knew thinking tasks are not his calling. Slicing things up? Now that he understands. Prismo has his eyes closed. He seemed to be torn into making decisions.

"I'm not supposed to favor one universe over the others. Just being here made me broke numerous rules I've never broke before." He snapped his fingers and the scene changed. Finn was shocked by the sudden transport. It felt like something tugged at him upward. Him, Jake, and Prismo are now in some kind of yellow room. "But things are different now."

Jake wasn't even fazed. He just continued to devour his sixth sandwich from the table that was also transported. "You mean you have a boss? Someone who made the rules?"

"Yes, babe."

"Who is it?" Jake almost choked on his food in astonishment. Why does he have so much respect for this Prismo guy? Just who is he really?

The sentient shadow paused for a moment before speaking. "God, Grod, Glob, or whatever you're calling Him nowadays."

He said it so nonchalantly that Finn can't help but doubt him. "Who are you really, Prismo? And where are we?"

Jake wrapped Finn's neck with his elongated left ear and properly introduced him to the strange being. "Finn, this is Prismo. He's a super cool guy with super cool powers. He could grant anything you wish for!"

Prismo looked flattered with th praises and let out a chuckle. "Well, not really, you see...haha!"

"So you could grant my wish? Wow that's totally math!" Finn hopped up and down in place out of excitement. A dude that can make wishes come true? That's totally rad!

"Sorry to burst your bubble Finn, but no."

"Yeeaa- waaa?"

"Yeah? Why not?"

"Jake, you forgot already? Finn already made a wish before." He gave a look of utter frustration at his buddy. Finn was even more confused. He swore he never met this pink guy before.

"Check out the monitor."

Finn looked at where Prismo pointed. It's a blank yellow wall. Now that he noticed, this place looked really familiar. Suddenly, a sofa appeared at their back. He quickly made himself comfortable in it. Jake complied too, with the large jar of pickles in his hands. Turning back his attention to the wall, he was astonished to see it replaced by a large screen. "Is that a T.V.?"

"Yeah, where's the remote Prismo?"

"Eh Jake, I won't let you have it this time. This is too important." He flicked through the monitor, very much like switching channels in a normal T.V.. Except this is not a television, that much is apparent to him.

"What you see now Finn, are the different and alternate universes. Each one holding a counterpart of each person in another universe. Like this one." Prismo maxed out the volume of the monitor, much to Finn's disgust.

_"How could you be so sure?! STOP IT! And get out of my room!" _Finn saw himself in the screen, lying naked on his bedroom with Marceline, who was equally naked. He immediately covered his eyes.

_"Uh-uh, Finn. Once you let a vampire in, you can never get them out." _Alternate Universe Marceline stuck out her tongue and made a face_. _

_"You know more than half of the maidens in this kingdom are effectively head over heels for you, weenie. You can choose anyone...well, anyone. Just stay away from LSP, for Glob's sake."_

"This is sick, man, not cool!" Jake yelled in annoyance.

"Hahaha! I know, right? They've been at it for hours now."

Finn growled in indignation. He would never do that with Marceline. "Ugh, Prismo. Too much information!"

"Alright, alright guys. Chill." He pressed a button on the remote. It was just right on time because the AU Finn is now being ravaged by the AU Marceline. The next 'channel' showed Finn playing with Flame Princess in the Grasslands. They're both younger than him. Way younger, but before Finn could say something, Prismo already switched the 'channel'.

"You're not supposed to see that. Hehe."

He just grunted in disapproval. The monitor now showed a muscled human wielding his Demon Blood Sword to cut down a red dragon that seemed to be made of...bedsheets and pillows. The huge man roared in triumph, only to be squashed down by another red dragon. On the horizon, dozen more dragons are preparing to join the fray.

"Is that you, Finn? Man, you look like Meat Man."

"What the heck are you talking about?"

"Oh yeah, this is totally my favorite universe! Oh wait, don't tell that to Glob...oh Glob."

The screen momentarily whited out because of the sun. The scene does not look like Ooo at all. There are a lot of humans, all waving goodbye to a young man on a small, horse-like animal. He seemed to be going on an adventure by the looks of his face. Finn noted his missing right arm, replaced by a mechanical one. The young man's nose is more prominent and his eyes are bigger too, but Finn could never deny that this is also him.

"Woah! That looks like wishworld Finn! He's still mad uglies! Heehee."

"Hey I do-!"

His retort was cut short by his alternate self. Beside tye AU Finn, a teenager not much older than him, rode another small horse. They looked very similar. "Is that my, I mean, his bro?"

"Shh!"

_"So I guess… this is good-bye, huh?" The teen said, watching how the AU Finn petted the animal._

_"Yeah." AU Finn smiled. He faced his young companion, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Take good care of mom. I know dad will be there for her, but he's somewhat distracted."_

"So he IS your brother. Real bro." Jake pointed haphazardly at the screen.

_"You're the man now!"_

_"Awesome!" the teenager exclaimed. "Should I take care of Milli and Flanna too?"_

_"Sure, but don't tell Flanna…" the young man winked. "You know how stubborn she is."_

_"No problem, bro!" _

The two brothers shared a handshake before they had to part ways. AU Finn walked into the woods, and finally disappeared from the view. Finn felt a pang of longing at the two people he saw. So he has a brother, albeit not in the same universe. He can't help but feel a bit jealous on his alternate universe selves. That Finn knew who really is his family, his parents.

"Hmm. As much as I like to dwell on that universe, we have to press on guys."

"I'm down with that. It is too boring!" Finn hit Jake on the butt for being so tactless, which caused him to nearly drop the jar of pickles he was holding. The dog was about to deliver his own blow when the screen changed tge scene into another. It appeared to be a blacksmith's workshop, although he can't remember any place that resembled the one being shown.

AU Finn finally came into view. He looked pretty similar to him, although he seemed a bit older. He seemed to be covered in flame shield, if the blue color that enveloped him is any indication. Finn noticed that he was not alone in the room. An older Flame Princess stood parallel to the AU Finn. Without warning, the two leaned their heads to the side and kissed passionately.

"Wow, now that is HOT, Finn. Way to go, buddy. Hehe."

"Jake, shut up."

"I bet you're jealous you can't do that to FP now?"

Finn just blushed in shame, mostly because his brother is right. He turned his attention back at the monitor. The two couples are now so into it, that they failed to notice the pink flames seeping from the forge. It seemed to be enveloping the two harmelessly, that is until he saw that his alternate self's flame shield was being peeled back.

"Watch out you doofus!"

"Relax Finn. It's just the Ancestral Flame...hey wait. Forget that I said that." Prismo looked positively alarmed. Finn doesn't know any An-what Flames. "The Citadel must remain a secret for now."

"You're not making any sense, man."

"Just forget it, will you?" They both nodded.

"I just don't get it Prismo. This is cool and all, but what does these universes have to do with you not being able to grant my wish?" He stole a glance at the screen. It now shows Finn, and curiously, Mr. Abadeer being chased by a huge zombie dog that looks a lot like Marceline's pet.

"You see Finn, I can only grant one wish to an individual. No more, no less. That's the rule, even I cannot break."

"...and?"

"You, Finn the Human, Hero of Ooo, and Hand of Righteousness, have already made a wish; and I already granted it."

"What? I don't..."

Prismo used the remote again and changed the 'channel' to something peculiar. In the monitor, a crying boy clad in blue robes and a bear hat so tattered that some of his hair leeked out. The white hair is so alarmingly familiar, together with the crown on his head and blue tinged of his skin.

"The Ice King! But...he looks young."

"Ice King? Well, technically Finn, he goes by the name Ice Prince now." Prismo looked gravely serious. What's wrong with this world? "You see Finn, right after the Lich went through here and wished for the wipeout of all existence, you and Jake came."

"Prismo, I thought you said not to tell this Finn?" He felt a bit angry at Jake for keeping secrets, but he let it slide this time.

"To save everyone, you wished that the Lich never existed. As a result, a new universe was born."

Prismo's eyes seemed to bore into his own. Something is happening with his head, like some building blocks falling in lto right places. But still, it raised more questions than answers. "So a new universe, so what?"

"Oh Glob, this will take a longer time than I thought. Good thing time is in our hands, for now. Make yourself comfortable Finn, you're about to see the the universe you created; the humble farmworld tainted with evil in the end."

~~o~~

Yeah. This chapter is a bit of pain to write. I just can't seem to nail Finn's character and I fear that I made him OOC. Maybe I should focus on Sawyer instead? What are your thoughts?

Add the fact that I have to find the balance between directly copying lines from the fanfictions I borrowed from, and rehashing the scenes to fit the story. Man, I think I have a headache.

R&R guys!

=]

Oh yeah, I'm in need for a beta reader. English is not my mother tongue, dudes, and I'm typing on my Android device (the Kingsoft Office app). The app doesn't have any grammar checks or whatsoever. Just a faulty spell check.


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Adventure Time, whatsoever.

~~o~~

Chapter 3 - Will Be The Mediator

"Put your arms where I can see it!" The girl seemed positively aggressive. He wondered what is the deal with this witch.

"Okay, okay, okay. Just don't use that thing on me." Sawyer sweat profusely. His palms moist because of anxiety. He can't take chance with this girl. Not in point blank range. He slowly raised his arms in surrender. _This is bad..._

"What is your name?"

He furrowed his brows. He can't possibly give that away. That is certainly the third rule of the land. Never ever give your true name to anyone you just met. "Gary."

"What?"

"I said my name is Gary. There, happy?" He mentally crossed his fingers in sheer hope. This girl looked more intelligent than she should be.

"That is not your name."

"How could you be so su-"

"You had time to think before you answered!" The girl's voice starting to get hysterical again. Sawyer wished she would shut up. He doesn't want to attract whatever wrong that happened in this settlement.

"Ash."

"Remember, mister, I have a spare bullet just for you."

"All right, all right! Damnit, I'm Ben Sawyer MERTENS! Please don'shoot!"

"Much better." Something hard struck the back of his head. Sawyer was immediately knocked down by the blow, but it was not enough to send him to dreamland. Apparently, this girl is not well-versed in doing the act of knocking people out.

He rolled over to his side and faced his captor. Before he could have time to examine her, the girl aimed the gun square at his face. Sawyer evaded the blast and ducked down behind an upturned table. He's sweating profusely now, the salty body fluids obstructing his sight. He's in too much trouble, as much as it is difficult to admit, the girl is better armed. _All I have is my machete. How could I approach her without losing some part of my body?_

"Stop this miss! I said I won't hurt you!" He tried peeking from his hiding place, and finally got his first proper look at the girl. She's a bit taller than him, with shoulder length ebony hair. She would have been a pretty sight if not for the dried tears and dribbling snot from nose that marred her face. The girl looked too far gone, like those who finally lost grip on reality and let craziness steamroll the heck out of them.

Her eyes said it all, her lost brown eyes. "Get away from my mother!"

_Mother? Who? Where?_ He frantically backed away some more and touched someting cold. Stiff and cold. It's rather round and sticky. Panicking, he hastily looked at what he touched and got the surprise of his lifetime. It should be enough to last him a lifetime.

"What the f-"

A corpse of a middle-aged woman lay prone on the wooden floor. The blood already has caked with dus and dirt around it. The thing he was groping a while ago was none other than the corpse's exposed left breast. The dress ripped apart in the midriff and suspiciously covered by something yellowish and stiff. Sawyer was lost at for words. Even more unnerving was the amount of blood that escaped the body. The fluids seemed to have been drained from the orifices, seeing that there is no visible wound.

Then, there are the green goo that steadily foamed at the corpse's gaping mouth. There were also some dripping from its perpetually staring eyes, like tears pouring out of its sockets.

"Oh so you already met my mother, huh? I think I already like you."

Then everything went black.

~~o~~

_"Good morning, Say. I made you breakfast, baby"_

_Light seeped through the crack in his eyelids. Sawyer hastily opened his eyes and came face to face with Mistress Bonnie lying on top of him, with nothing but her tattered and frayed nighties. So it is another one of those mornings. He tried politely pushing the older woman away, but realized that that will only invoke her anger. _

_"I'll get it for you. I'll be right back, try not to miss me." She winked at him as she stood up, much to Sawyer's utter disgust. Not that he showed it though. It is too early to ruin their morning._

_"Sure, Mistress Bonnie." She slapped her hard across his cheek._

_"Thank you, Mistress Bonnie, I am forever in your debt. My body is yours, my soul is yours, and my will is yours. Yours and yours alone. You were there to raise me when my father cannot. You were there to care for me when my mother cannot. You were there to guide me when my brother cannot. I am a part of you, have always been and will always be." He recited the oath monotonously, the very oath that signifies and sealed his fate._

_"That's better, Say, my love." She pulled his head and kissed him harshly full in the lips. Her tongue already probing around, seeking passage. He reluctantly gave in to the kiss, cursing his brother as tears threaten to escape his eyes. His mistress does not like it when he cries, especially around her. _

_Suddenly, Mistress Bonnie broke into a series of coughs, each succeeding one worse than the previous. It seemed like she would be done for now, but the coughing instantly stopped. She held a hand at Sawyer to assure him. "I'm alright, baby. Don't worry, it's just a cough."_

_~~o~~_

Sawyer woke with a start. His head felt like it's full of lead. He was breathing so fast again as his heart beat threaten to rise. He tried his best to calm himself but was only able to shake away the pain he's feeling at the back of his head. _So the girl do know how to knock people out. That's insane. Doesn't that require medical precision or whatever?_

Sawyer tried moving his arms, to no avail. His hands are bound by a thin rope, by the knots appeared to be not very well done. Just a few tries and already the bind started to become loose. With one final tug, it gave away. He looked down and saw a handkerchief on the wooden floor. _So I was blindfolded too? Looks like that psycho chick doesn't know the first thing about knots. Where is she anyway?_

"What? You caught a boy?! What would my men would do with that kid? I'm sorry missy looks like you failed big time! Haha."

He immediately scrambled towards the window and slightly parted the curtain, careful not to trip on the corpse. Near the entrance of the house, three men stood like vultures preying upon the girl. What is going on here?

"I'm sorry missy but looks like we have to take you too. I'm terribly sorry. So sorry." He was anything but sorry, that much Sawyer could see.

"...Please give me more chance!"

"Oh you'll get your chance alright. In my quarters." The biggest of the trio acted like a boss, while the other two are obviously just henchmen. One thing's common between the three though, they are all well-built and healthy looking. Even their faces are free from blemishes. _What is this freakshow?_

"Please...don't do this! Take me but set my sister free! I'll take her place..."

"Right on girly, you'll take her place." The girl's face lightened up slightly. "After my three other boys had their go at her, she's one feisty little bi-"

Whatever the boss was about to say, Sawyer never heard the end of it as the girl drowned every sound with her anguished cry. He was at lost for words, these are surely nasty people. Well-fed, well-clothed and whatever but they still do wicked deeds. He watched in silence as one of the goons hoisted the screaming girl on his back while whistling a discordant tune, seemingly happy like a shopper satisfied with his purchase.

He knows, everyone knows, that this new world is crappy at best and horrifying at worst, but this is just too much. _Brother, what else have you done? _

"Boss, what do we do with the boy she captured? Do we recruit him in our group?" The smallest of the three spoke with some apprehension.

"Idiot! We don't pick streetrats to join the Bath House Gang! Slit his throat, now!"

"All right, boss." Sawyer's heart skipped a beat. This have surely gone from worse to worst. He frantically searched around the room that may even the odds of him dying helpless, and dying with a nice little struggle.

His eyes fell upon his knapsack. _My machete!_

Sawyer strode to it as quietly as he could and took out his trusty weapon. He felt bad that the girl took the gun with her. Well, anyway, he doubt if he could use that effectively though. Outside, he heard the gang exchange their goodbyes as the other two left. The girl was silent now, probably finally accepting her fate.

"Shmuck my dirk, while I frock that brass! Shmuck my dirk, while I frock that brass!"

They were so casual about their crimes that they can sing without care. Where are the people of this town? Why does nobody come and help them? Surely that girl's voice must have been heard throught this place. Sawyer looked down at the soiled corpse, the green goo now almost covered its face. Then something occured to him. An idea he wished that wasn't true.

_They are all dead. All the people of this town is dead._

But before he could ponder the idea, loud and hurried footsteps coming from the stairs echoed around the house. Sawyer almost dropped his weapon out of fear but he remained hidden behind the upturned table. Behind him, he heard a low groan, an all familiar groan.

"C'mon now kid. I know you're hiding behind that table." This dude actually sound bored. "Don't waste my time, lie down, and let me slit your throat."

He remained silent. The goon is very near to the table now. His palms started to sweat, almost making him lose his grip on the machete. Suddenly, he felt something move behind him.

"Shit! Not again?!"

Sawyer wasted no time in slashing the goon's left leg and scrambled behind his adversary. He was taken by surprise from the searing pain in his left leg and by the freshly-turned mutant crawling towards them. _So, my hunch is right then?_

"Die, you freak! The goon plunged his own knife into the skull of the creature, which turned out to be a bad move. Unlike the other mutants, this one haven't completed its transformation and such, still retained human features. Like a hard skull. His actions didn't killed it yet, but now the knife is stuck and Sawyer used the moment to try and strike the goon down with his blade.

"As if, kid!"

He was met by a punch to his right cheek, landing hard near the spot where he was bound in ropes earlier. Spatting out a tooth, he hurriedly searched for his weapon and to his horror, it lay closer to his enemy. He tried reaching it first but failed and backed away.

"Get off me you smelly woman!" The goon repeatedly slashed the mutant in different places before finally delivering a vicious strike. He nearly decapitated the creature, with a few sinews helding its head in place. It dropped to the ground and layed still, he weapon stucked again much to his relief. Using the split second moment, he picked the a length of the rope and frantically tied it around the neck of the goon.

The bastard has back turned to him and was still stunned from his victory to be able to throw him off. "Hey what- ?"

"Shut up!" Sawyer coiled the rope some more and and pulled both ends, viciously strangling his enemy. The goon is now trying to loosen up the rope, but Sawyer won't have any of that. He turned away and hoisted the man on his back, using all the strength to lift him off his feet. He didn't quite achieved the effect but the goon wasn't able to free himself now, and that was what mattered.

"Think you're so cool now huh?"

The man was finally on his last throes now, waving his arms trying to reach him with no luck. Sawyer used last of his strength to keep up the pressure. He's losing it fast. He didn't want to think could happen if he lose his grip. Until suddenly, for what seemed to be an eternity of struggling, the man stayed still.

But to make sure, he kept the stance. Pulling ever harder on the ropes, just to make sure he is dead, and partly because Sawyer was really pissed of at this people. He was snapped out of his revelrie by a sickening crack that came from the neck of his enemy.

"I did it. I frigging did it again." His breathing became fast and shallow as he let go of the ropes and glimpsed at the lifeless body of the goon, its eyes still open with sheer terror. This was not the first time he killed another human, and he is certain that this will not be the last if he kept living in this environment.

"I did not killed him. The world did. My brother did."

But everytime he did it, Sawyer will clear it out of his system. After all, this is the fourth rule of the land. Kill or be killed, and he sure doesn't want unnecessary guilt.

He dropped down to his knees out of exhaustion, kneeling like a penitent person. _I'm hungry, I'm cold, I'm tired, I'm sick, my foot hurts, my eyes hurt, and oh yeah, I just killed a guy._

He stared into the window, the ever bleak sky loomed upon him. Sawyer let out a sigh, thinking of the crazed girl the gang took away. Now he is torn between two hard decisions now. "Why can't I just stay away from trouble?"

~~o~~

This will be probably the last fast update for a while, dudes. That wouldn't be too bad I guess. Oh yeah, I'm starting to worry, should I change the rating from T to M? The story gets darker from here and I fear I start getting overboard with some things. What are your thoughts? This four chapters will set the mood for the rest.

Ooobserver : Thanks for the reviews, man. Looks like I've been worrying too much, huh?

R&R dudes! I need some critics. Heck even harsh ones. Lol.


	5. Chapter 5

I don't own Adventure Time. But Adventure Time owns me. Any day.

~~o~~

Chapter 4 - Start of a Circle

Marceline stared towards the ceiling. She had been awake for an hour now, shocked and confused on how he got the Candy Kingdom's hospital. The steady noise of the heart monitor annoys her to no end. Whoever thought plugging in a heart monitor on a thousand year old vampire have poo for brains. More minutes passed, with nothing exciting happening.

"Oh you're awake, Marceline!"

She looked at the direction of the voice she all knew too well, Princess Bubblegum. She seemed to be happy with relief and blushing for a reason she all knew too well too. "Hey, Bonnie...Uh. What am I doing here?"

"So you don't remember anything?" The princess looked at her with a frown. Marceline quickly amended her statement.

"No, I remember helping you out with that time machine...but I don't really remember much what happened after that. And why do I have an urge to hurl pancakes at your face?"

The princess paused for a few seconds, seemingly lost in thoughts, then started scribbling on her anoying pink notebook. Marceline was getting impatient, she had been in this room for so long now. A vampire's gotta stretch.

"The time machine failed, Marceline."

"Oh my Glob! With me inside?"

"...Yeeeeaaaahh." The princess looked away, much to her disbelief.

"What do you mean 'Yeeeeeaaaahh'?" My dear, the suspense is killing her.

"The time machine was supposed to send you approximately 1000 years back in time, but instead..." The princess is the ever master of unnecessary suspense.

"Bonnie?!"

"...instead it reversed your anatomy to become approximately 1000 years younger. In Finn's terms, you became a cute little grey baby."

She let out a whistle. It seemed to be the stetch of craziness and nonsensical of it all that is pretty normal for a mad scientist like Bonnie. Marceline, the half demon half Vampire Queen, turned into a baby? Yeah right. _But wait...This is not right._

"I think I believe you, Bonnie."

The princess blushed even harder. This is probably one of the moments where the candy monarch is not pulling her leg. It's not that Marceline stopped believing the princess, but sometimes even friends, _friends_, can be hard to read at times. And Bonnie is no shallow water.

"Yeah, I definitely believe you."

"You seem complacent today, Marceline." She wished that the princess stop blushing. It made things more awkward for them.

" I believe you, the time machine, and whatever. How else could I have a memory of being in a bathtub with Finn? And it felt _wonderful."_

The princess let out a small 'eep' and blushed even harder. Marceline thought she looked like a pretty stawberry. She slowly sat upright and was a bit shocked that she wore nothing under the hospital blankets. Her smooth skin instantly exposed to the air conditioned room. She looked up at Bonnie. Her half-open mouth suddenly felt very inviting.

_You're ever so inviting._

"What? As if you haven't seen my awesome body before, you egg. I bet you had a wonderland on my bod while I was knocked out." Marceline let out one of her signature laughs. The monarch got even redder, if that was possible.

"I...I did it for research!" The cute princess furrowed her brows, or tried to anyway.

Marceline levitated herself off the bed, the blanket slid down to the cold tiled floor. She hovered closer to the flustered sentient bubblegum. "Well...maybe I should do my own research."

Marceline enclosed her in an embrace and then cupped her face. The princess automatically closed her eyes and leaned in to her, as if expecting something to happen. _Oh no, Bonniebel. _The vampire inhaled in her intoxicating scent, the ever prevalent sweet smell of the candy royalty waffing off her like crazy, and subsequently sucked the red of her cheeks The fangs lightly punctured her skin, not too deep, but deep enough to siphon the color red.

"Marceline! How many times do I have to tell you that that is too distasteful?!"

"What? No! You're so delightfully delicious, Bonnibel. Pure grade red!"

"Ugh!" The princess went over to the bedside table and took out a strip of bandage and stuck it to her right cheek. Marceline made sure she did not bled, but it would take a lot of explaining if people found out she have two vampire fangs size hole in her cheek.

The vampire queen chortled without care, slapping her forehead in laughter and seemingly have forgotten about her predicament. It had been a while since she had drinked the red from her face. The last time was the night before she left to travel Ooo for Glob knows how many years, only to come back inside her tree house and see two squatters inside. She was kinda hoping it was Bonnie who will welcome her back.

Marceline turned back her gaze to Bonnie, who looked positively hurt. Not physically, no. "Oh you're expecting something instead of that bite, huh! Did I disappointed you?"

"NO! Marceline, stop it!" The princess started to blush again.

"Hmmm...looks like more dinner." She pointed at the blushing monarch's cheek.

"Knock it off...So, how are you feeling? Do you feel anything unusual?"

"Oh we're doing that nurse-patient thing again? Oh, Bonnie, you sly you..."

The princess just looked at her incredulously, hands on her hips and her left foot tapping the floor rythmically. _I may have taken the joke too far..._Taking a hint that play time's over, she immediately jumped into much needed answers.

"Okay, my head kinda hurts but aside from that, nothing. I think I'm fine, Bonnibel." Marceline ruffled her hair absentmindedly. "I'm going to be okay, right?"

"Yes, yes, you're going to be alright. I double-checked my calculations before using the time machine again on you." Bonnibel walked closer to the bed and bent over to pick up the blanket from the floor. Marceline wasted no time in slapping her exposed rear.

"Hey!" She shouted at her indignantly.

"That always gets your rig digging, ain't it." She winked at the monarch.

Bonnie just held out the blanket to her and sighed defeatedly. "Just get back to the bed and - No, No, No, No, I meant nothing with that. Sheesh! Really, Marceline?"

The vampire held back her laughter and obeyed the highness' order. She'll have plenty of fun in annoying the the walking cute bubblegum. Even this drab hospital won't stop her from having the time of her life. Well, undead life. _Wait, that doesn't make sense now, does it?_

"Make yourself comfortable while I get you something red to eat. What do you want?"

"An apple is okay, I guess."

"Alright, one apple coming up."

"Or I could just make you blush again. It'd be more fun, anyway."

"MARCELINE!"

_This night will only get better._

~~o~~

_...Why are you holding back my power?_

"Sorry Flanna, but I can't. I just can't ice the world over. My princess would be hurt!" The Ice Prince could feel a resemblance of sanity slowly coming back to him. But that's it. Memories were still hazy, and he was still crazy. That much he knew.

_She's nothing but a mere copy, a faulty creation of your own desire to see me again._

"I...that's not true." He hung his head in defeat. He knew Flanna was right. Everything was just because of his stupid dream to have his happy ending.

_You won't have it. Not if you don't do what I say, my love. Let me repay you, for everything you did for me._

"The people of this land no longer sees me as a menace. I...changed and they changed."

_But you wouldn't be like this if not because of them. Remember who you are before, and see yourself now. You look pitiful. For a royalty, you sure don't look the - _

"The what?" He took off his bear hat and closed his eyes, his long silver hair flowing freely. Flanna came into view instantly. Her red locks and green eyes looked more vivid and vibrant than before. It seemed as though she is slowly being pieced back together, forming a cohesive image.

Flanna smiled at her, her face beaming with radiant smile unlike anything he had seen before. Well, except Flame Princess. But that is because they are one and the same. The major difference is that Flanna doesn't burn him when he tries to touch her. "Forget it."

He did.

"Why can't I see you while my eyes are open?" The Ice Prince longed to be with her for a thousand years, and all these time she was just here in his mind. His tiny fragile mind couldn't have been better.

Flanna did not replied but embrace him dearly instead, caressing his unkempt hair. Her touch feels warm, but not scorching like his princess.

"I'm your princess, you dummy." She let out a laugh and slapped his mechanical arm.

The Ice Prince felt some part of him died a bit. He despised all those cheesy and over romantisized books he often accidentally read in the library, but this feels different. For a second there, he was the humble peasant again. The boy he knew Flanna dearly loved a millenium ago.

"I still love you, dummy. Stop thinking like that."

"What? Oh yeah."

"We can be united again in the real world, Mertens."

Mertens. Finn Mertens. Suddenly, he now know his true name. The thing he had been thinking about for hundreds of years now. All along the answer is within himself. Not that it really mattered; he is the Ice Prince for the longer part of his life.

"How, Flanna? Tell me."

"Turn this world into a giant ice block."

"You know I can't do that."

"We can. Just let me open the Vault in your mind." The Ice Prince had enough for now and opened his eyes. Flanna instantly dissolved from view, replaced by the window of his ice lair. It offered a clear spectacle of the Candy Kingdom from afar. The sugary structures annoyed him before, but now, not so much.

_It does annoy me. C'mon let's pay that princess a visit._

"But I promised her she'll never see my face again." He had doubts in this. That Joshua the Dog seemed nice to him enough, but still. How would he react if he saw him lurking around the princess?

_We'll take care of that mutt._

Something tells the Ice Prince that Flanna, his princess, have been always like this; a reckless ball of energy.

..._Yes, your princess._

A smile crept up his face.

~~o~~

Does this feel like rushed or something? It's supposed to be a Ice Prince only chapter, but I don't want to spoil too much about him. And oh yeah, if things are confusing, the Marceline and Bonnie part is in the main universe, while the Ice Prince and Flanna is on the AU. Hey guys, what do you notice about the chapter titles? Yep. They don't make sense, and are very misleading. Hehe.

Ooobserver: I think I'll just tone down the darker stuff from now on. I really don't want to give it an M rating. Thanks for the reviews dude!

I wonder how would SCIK1012 would react on this? I hope I did her characters justice.

Read and Review dudes!


	6. Chapter 6

I don't own Adventure Time. Well, maybe someday.

~~o~~

Chapter 5 - Between The Two

Sawyer wiped the blood from his mouth, feeling with his tongue more loose teeth. Having inadequate nourishment is a real bummer. He flicked his tongue and tasted more iron. _There goes my life juice..._

He searched the perpetrators body for anything salvageable but came up short except for a metallic card. The dude he had snuffed seemed to be an important goon for the henchman. The card looked too important for a grunt to have, and Sawyer bets his liver it acts a key for some door or something. He turned it over and saw a logo of a letter 'A' punctured by something that resembles the number '8' but turned on its side. Slidding it inside his jacket, he went towards the mutated corpse.

"Damn, both blades are useless now." He tried pulling out his machete, but the only thing that came free was the handle.

_Well, who did I fooled into thinking I could save her? DO I EVEN want to save her? _

Sawyer retrieved his faded green knapsack and slid inside the other lengths of rope lying on the floor, these might prove useful again. Before taking the flight of stairs, he shot one last glance at the gruesome hallway. He doesn't even want to know how many time he would have to endure the same predicament before falling prey himself.

Uttering a hurried 'sorry' at the two corpse, he took two steps at a time down the creaky stairs. His eyes fell immediately upon the gun the girl tried to do him in earlier. Sawyer was bothered at how heavy and wieldy the large, double-barreled gun was. _Oh yeah, I remember now. It's a shotgun._

"Man, I don't think I can use this thing." He frowned at the wasted potential in harnessing the metallic deathstick, but also took into consideration the possible mishaps that could happen to him because of it. He thought of the girl who nearly shot herself in the face because of the buckling weight. "Yeah, I'll just leave it here."

Sawyer walked briskly outside the house and ran through a dark and shaded sidewalk. The weather is starting to get cold again. The wind easily slipped through his jacket, numbing his joints and sending shivers to his spine. He drew the hood on his head and prayed that the night will be more merciful to him. Looking up at the sky, Sawyer gritted his teeth in annoyance. It is almost impossible to tell if sundown is near or not.

"I have to hurry if I want to do this."

He could hurry, alright, that's if he had the faintest idea where to locate the gang's hideout. He took out the card again and examined it more thoroughly. The artistically designed 'A' clearly stands out, even just by being black in color, but the card is white though. He scanned the vicinity while placing hurried but muffled footsteps onto the hard pavement. Around a corner of a district that would have been busy if there were people around, he heard murmurs that belonged to men. Big, growly men, that is.

Sneaking a glance, the scene instantly made his mouth water. Two rather scrawny teenagers were indulging themselves on a steaming bowl of what appeared to be mushroom soup. His eye sight never failed him whenever the subject involved food.

"Lucky bastards."

To their left stood another suburb house with a door that seemed to be guarded by a third person, a middle-aged and healthy-looking woman. She was carrying some kind of short and black stick that looked sinister enough. The first time Sawyer's eyes laid eyes upon the scene, he knew he had already found the answer to his question earlier. _So this is their hideout. _

He looked at the other row of houses. The roofs were close together enough to jump over, perfect for his chosen method of entry. A classic break-in. Sliding back into the darkness, he ran away from the scene and sprinted towards the third house left of the one he is planning to break-in. Sawyer glanced back at the group, they still don't notice him.

"Okay, I can do this."

These identical houses were unremarkable at best. Same basic fenced front yard and then a porch. The wooden walls seemed easy to climb enough but he chose not to; it might be dark but he wont take unncessary chances. Grasping the doorknob with tensed hands, a cold wind blew hard. A feeling of sudden dread swirled inside him, causing his insides to feel uncomfortable. He remembered the mutated corpse of the girl's mother. _I don't think I'll like what I'm about to see here._

Gently opening the door, he realized something. It was unlocked. _Of course it's unlocked, the owner never had the time to close it properly. _Sawyer made his way inside, closing the door behind. A putrid but sweetish-rottish smell invaded his lungs. Cringing his nose, the similar structure of the house made his task easier. Even the stairs have the same creaky sounds. He dared not to look at the kitchen, where the awful smell was the strongest.

_Another one who fell._

Saying a quick sorry at the inhabitant from the top step of the stairs, he suddenly remembered the mutation. _How long is their transformation? I would be in serious trouble if ... _He just prayed he had enough time to get to his destination. He strode towards the window, barely enough light permeated the hallway. It would be a very bad idea the break the window because it would attract a lot of attention, so he opened it as gently as he could. Biting winds instantly battered his face.

"Coldness is a thousand times worse if your hungry."

Climbing outside the window, he dared not to look down but instead searched for something to hold on to above him. The roof is low enough to grab, which he did. Sawyer hoisted his body with great difficulty, almost slipping twice. The slanted roof proved tricky to trek on, especially because of the tile-like things that adorned the roof. They easily crumble away from his feet. He tensed.

"This is harder than I thought."

Sawyer broke into a run, making sure to be quite as he could and jumped towards the next house, landing on all fours and displacing a couple of brick tiles. He tensed some more as he heard those shatter. That would have attracted attention but the wind blew away the sound.

He cannot do that again with the hideout house. The grunts would surely shoot him down. Sawyer crept towards the general direction of a window and found one. Clambering down towards it proved way more difficult for him but he managed to. His muscles started to protest, these ardorous tasks are not in his nature. _Am I suicidal? Yeah, maybe I am. I don't even know what would I do if I meet the boss._

The sweetish-rottish smell was even stronger inside the house he was in. He jumped down the stairs and landed roughly on the carpeted floor. _Wait, carpeted?_

He immediately scanned the house. Sawyer was intrigued enough by the fact that whoever lived inside here were much well-to-do than the previous houses he was in. A large family picture captured his attention. It depicted a three-member family. A young father holding his equally young wife, who in turn have in her arms a rather cute daughter. Both the father and daughter have sandy hair, while the mother is a straight-up blonde.

"What a perfect family." Sawyer whispered absentmindedly.

This time he dared to look at the kitchen. All cupboards were stark empty, evident with the opened drawers. Ransacked dry. Sighing out of defeat, Sawyer proceeded to the living room where his eyes landed on the corpse, or rather stuck-in-coma body of the young father. He was bleeding all right. The blood flowed freely from the sofa he was slumped on. What caught his attention were the numerous papers strewn across the centerpiece table. One in particular piqued his interest, an official-looking document that has the same logo he saw earlier. He reached into his jacket and compared the two. _Spot on._

The very same 'A' with an '8' adorned both items. He excitedly ruffled through the papers but found them to be too difficult to understand. All the papers seemed to be about freezing someone for a certain period of time. That did not made much sense. Gritting his teeth in annoyance, he put back the card in his jacket and looked at the table once more. A maroon booklet placed neatly on top of a briefcase. Something told him not to open it, but curiousity won over. Ooening at a random page, he began to read.

_Day 17 _

_Noraine was so mad at me earlier. What was so bad in joining that group of scientist working in secret next door? They seem to be good enough people. Plus, if we succeed, we could grant our children a better future. And the extra money is a good thing too._

_Oh yeah, Li'l Celine is now on the age where kids asks endless questions._

Sawyer tensed. This is a diary, a diary of a soon to be deceased man. It felt bad to read it but he can't stop now even if he tried. Muttering a muffled 'sorry', he continued reading. He jumped a few more pages.

_Day 38 _

_I can't believe how fast the sickness is spreading throughout the town. Is it because of the excessive energy we've been using in the lab? Sometimes I wake up at night, just to break into violent coughs. Noraine was even in worse condition, I guess. This morning I saw blood on the sink. Blood and bits of guts. Yet my wife won't tell me her condition. From what we gathered, the younger the person is, the more he or she will be resistant to the sickness. Poor old Tommy. He's a nice old fella._

_Day 47_

_More and more people are dying. The town is now only half of its population weeks ago. The worse thing is they don't even know that the cause of accelerated sickness is because of a secret experiment below the house next ours. I just hope the machine gets finished soon. Before guilt takes me over._

Sawyer deemed it was wrong to skip these entries so he began to read them properly. Something tells him that this won't end well.

_Day 48_

_I woke up with a bit of blood in my pillow. Without acceleration, every people in the world should have about a couple more years to go before the sickness takes them over. This is crazy._

_Noraine won't even look me in the eye now. But nowadays, I've begun to think that she is right all along. I confronted my boss about these matters, but she assured me that everyhing will be alright and that my daughter will be the first person who will get to use one of the machines. I'm sorry, Noraine. They assured me that she will live a better life if she used the machines._

_Day 49_

_Billy Joe, my neighbor claimed he saw a 15 feet horse-like creature with rainbow fur flying across the nearby mountain range. That is absurd, even for Billy. Maybe the sickness has taken its toll on him? I don't know, I don't care. Celine said she wanted to see this creature. Oh my darling little bundle of joy (_A large blot of something dark red blocked the first part of the next sentence, much to his dismay. )_ -fe are the only thing that mattered in this world. I believe in our group, the hope that lies in those machines. _

_I pray that we finish them in time, we're down to a seven-man team now. Infinite Alpha Program must continue at all costs._

_Day 50_

_I'm so weak now stringing this words together I can't even do properly. Noraine never woked up. My wife, the shining light my life gone forever. I was so stunned by her death that I failed to notice my daughter is missing. So was Billy. That shithead must have took my daughter to the mountain ranges to search for those pesky made up hallucinations awkward sentence. Dad I am but I can't do anthing right. _

_It' s too late for me to look for her now. I know my body won't accomplish that task. But I can do correct the damages I've done. I went to the lab and murdered every single fucking mothershits who ruined our lives. I butchered them in their sleep. Took a lot of strength to kill that fat guy. No one can run away. _

_I made sure the bitch who started this suffer. I smashed all her pretty fingers first before I did her right there. Man, I never knew wooden axe handles can do the trick too. She died satisfied in the nether regions I guess, but I smashed her pretty face all the same._

_That was fun, my love and my daughter. Wish I remember your names though._

_Day 51 _

_Bad start. I wanted to destroy those contraptions so much it hurts. I'm so wet with blood now, mostly my own. Yeah, me destro those shits later in evening goota lie down first. This is a nice sofa._

The rest of the pages remained blank. Sawyer was in complete shock. So all of people in the world were destined to die. _So what's the purpose of all these things? We'll die horribly just the same. Might as well finish myself with that axe._

But he decided against it. He took pity at the man beside him. He is a family guy pushed into the brink of destruction because of his brother. Sawyer felt gulity that his kin caused all this madness. If he could just try to find this man's daughter, he would. But Sawyer knew what those creatures were. They seemed to belong to another dimension, only going here to feed on human flesh. New Junktown was attacked by those around the time before he left on a supply raid. It felt like a long time ago. He nearly lost his right arm in droving those away while the other people just waited to be devoured.

But he could do one thing this man desired, the complete destruction of the machines. Picking up the bloody axe, decided to end the man's misery and struck him in the neck. It was roughly divided, but that would be enough. He then took out the ropes he found earlier and used one length to tie around his waist, creating a makeshift holster for the weapon. Good thing it is not that heavy.

He took the stairs and thought of a way to get to the next house. One of its window directly faced the one he is in. Maybe he could..._jump through?_

He got nothing to lose anyway. So he opened the window, backed away and broke into a furious run. Adrenaline kicked in and he leaped through the windows, a feeling of exciliriating energy coarsed through him. That is until he landed hard on the floor, sending him tumbling towards a table in a hallway. He looked around, the jump didn't produced much noise, thankfully.

Sawyer mentally prayed.

He spot one of the goons he saw earlier. The bastard appeared to be sleeping peacefully on the couch, without a care in the world. The floor below was carpeted too, so instead of taking the stairs, he just jumped down. Creeping closer towards the sleeping guy, he lifted the axe high and swung with all his might. The sickening crunch told him he had done the job nicely. The axe thankfully did not became stucked.

Suddenly, the door burst open. The woman he saw earlier came busting in. "Sweetie, the rainbow creature are ba- who the fuck are you?"

"I'm yo momma!"

The taller woman swooped down on him, the stick in her hands. He deflected it with his axe, but she was quicker than he thought. She kicked him hard on his stomach, sending him hurtling and crashing on the T.V. set. He rolled away before the thinghit him, but instead got strucked by the stick. Waves of shocking electricity flowed through his body, a look of utter confusion in his face.

"What? Haven't seen a stun baton before?"

Sawyer tried to recover quickly and struck the woman with the axe on her shins but to his dismay, he had used the blunt side of his weapon accidentally.

"Ouch, you hurt me kiddo! I like that, I like squirmy little children."

Her demeanor struck him as familiar. Clearing his thoughts, Sawyer swerved towards the right and backed away. This was certainly bad.

"Oh are you afraid of me babe? Come here and cuddle with me." With a look of bewilderment, the woman ripped her blouse and exposed her big pairs of breast. Disconcertening alright, but Sawyer won't be fazed by that.

She just cackled crazily, grasping the stun baton with both hands before licking the tip. " So, you are not so innocent as I thought huh. C'mon and dance with me, little man."

"SHUT UP SHUT SHUT SHUT UP!" He hurled the axe and sent it towards the woman, embedding itself dead center on the woman's heart. She looked at him, then smiled before crumpling in a heap.

Sawyer went over her and retrieved the axe, checking it for any signs of breakdown. He did not find any. He then glanced at the crazy woman. Blood bubbled on her lips, she still smiled at her. He snatched the baton and placed it inside his knapsack.

"I'll suck you off..."

Thinking it was just another dying's last speech, he turned away and started to walk. But suddenly, the woman talked again. "Kitchen. There. Everything you need. Third cupboard to the left."

Then no more.

_Can I trust her? We'll I've got no choice._

Against all instincts, he followed the woman's directions and found himself staring at a strange and advanced looking thing. It has a small monitor that says 'Infinite Alpha Program: Insert your I.D. for security protocols'. He took out the card and plunge it into a crevice near the monitor. He heard a click and metallic sound behind him, a door appeared leading to a well-lit hospital-looking hallway.

Sawyer quickly ran through, footsteps echoing loudly against the metallic doors. The path seemed to be leading underground. Finally seeing a double-doors at the end, he slowed down and opened them wide.

"So this is a lab." Numerous complicated equipments strewn across the white floor and desks. The room was huge enough to fit the whole house above him. There were more doors that lead to rooms with glasses for walls.

Sawyer walked closely to one and found the people he was keened to save earlier. Both of the siblings looked dead, or stuck-in-coma, and the younger sister looked like it has finished the transformation. Green goo covered her face, groaning softly but cannot move that much. The weight of her sister on top of her prevented her. The two were tied together, naked, and covered with glistening substance he dared not to think what. He looked away. This is too much.

_Too much. It has to end. Please let it end. _

Looking away, he saw another hallway that looked important. It has glass doors, if that is an indication. Sawyer broke into a run towards the door, careful not to make unnecessary noise, and to his slight amusement, the glass doors opened automatically for him. The hall was shorter than the first, but it made him more nervous. The boss will be surely inside.

"Mother of - "

The boss was being mauled to death by the mutated scientists; punching, kicking, and ripping him to pieces. Then he saw it. The room that held the machines. He hastily ran towards it and closed the door behind him. Looking around the room, he spotted a heavy-looking desks and pushed it to block the door. He was just in time because soon, the mutants started to bang at the door.

"I'm trapped. Well, a day must end, just like any other day." _Except there would be no tomorrow this time._

On the brighter side of things, he could destroy the machines now. Looks like only two were running because theyse are the only ones with light. The cylindrical shape of the machines placed horizontally on some kind of pedestals allowed ample space for anyone to lie inside while stretched out.

As he approached one, the machine started making whirring sounds and opened its glass cylindrical door. It is as if it is beckoning him to lie down for a spell, when suddenly, the door behind him broke down. The mutants spilled one by one, like ants excited by the smell of food.

He panicked.

_"... if we succeed, we could grant our children a better future."_

_"... everyhing will be alright and that my daughter will be the first person who will get to use one of the machines."_

_"... They assured me that she will live a better life if she used the machines."_

Without hesitation, he clambered inside the cylinder, the glass door immediately closing on him. He watched as the room was filled with some liquid that burned and melted the mutants, like bleach washing out the stains on a cloth. Only skeletons and bits of dried up skin remained as the liquid dissipated. Well, maybe, he thought, those were bleach alright.

"Beginning biofreezing, please assume a comfortable position. The process will start in 10 seconds." The ethereal and emotionless voice blared from somewhere in the room.

"Ten."

He thought of everything that happened to him today. It was sure as whack.

"Nine."

Soon he will be out of this misery. He knew it.

"Eight."

"I'm sorry dude, I can't fulfill your wish. I can't just destroy this things.."

"Six."

Sawyer thought of his Mistress. He wondered how she would act if she saw him like this.

"Three."

"Wait, what the hell is biofreezing?"

"Two."

"One."

Suddenly, cold clouds of smoke filled the cylinder. He buckled from the sudden cold and feared that he will be suffocated. He frantically reached for his axe and weakly strucked the glass, to no avail. Just as he was about to pass out, the cylinder opened. He rolled towards the side and nearly hit his head on the floor. Sawyer looked around, the cold gas already becoming thin. The handle of the axe became brittle as he gripped it, rendering it useless. The cold did a number on the wood.

"I felt... normal. The machine failed?"

Tears threaten to well from his eyes as he went outside the room and outside the lab. He did not even stole a glance at the corpse of the crazy woman as he proceeded to walk briskly outside. He found the two scrawny boys, or what's left of them. Minding his own business, he strode forwards out of the town; oblivious to the world, and furious at the cruelty of it all. For a moment there, he could finally taste the freedom from this open-world prison. But fate shall have none of it.

The hellish landscape stretched on and on as far as Sawyer's eyes could see. The sickly green sky pressed on him as usual. It has been like this since he first knew how to walk without Miss Bonnie guiding him. Sometimes, Sawyer have a hard time believing that his mad elder brother caused the end of the world. _Well, maybe...end of civilization seems more fitting, seeing that the world , this stupid and worthless world, still exists. Nice job, bro. _

_When will you be back to finish the job?_

Sawyer nearly tripped on a can of unidentifyable processed food. It looked like a piece of brown turd, if he ask himself. _Which I do more often than what's healthy. _He turned it over its side and saw an almost faded expiration date.

"Crap, it's seven years pass expiration date..."

~~o~~

"Princess, are you sure this is the place? The place looks rundown."

"I am positively sure, Joshua. Open that dlor for me will you?"

Joshua complied and slice apart the door blocking the room with his Demon Blood Sword. It offered very little resistance, being a thousand year structure. Inside he saw cylindrical contraptions, all of which looked unusable except the nearest to them. It radiated with intense light, showing clearly what it held.

A boy. A brown-haired human boy sleeping inside, clothing torn, an axe in his hand and a knapsack on his back. He might be covered in dirt and long-since dried blood, but Joshua could clearly see the tormented look on his face; like someone experiencing a nightmare.

"Behold Joshua, on what might be the last human on Ooo."

~~o~~

That's it for the mega long chapter. I really prefer not to write chapters this long, but I want to do Sawyer justice. Hope I did things right.

Ooobserver: Heh, I wanted to portray Marcy and Bonnie as 'friends' and well...I think some things just happens. Haha.

Read and review dudes.

BTW, should I list Sawyer as an OC or not? He technically exists in AT, but just as a baby.


	7. Chapter 7

I neither own Adventure Time, nor I wish to own it. I want to live in Adventure Time though. Real life sucks in comparison.

~~o~~

Chapter 6 - Tales of the Alternate Universe

Thinking of the future is hard. It can certainly take its toll on anyone, what with worries and anxieties it could bring. It is especially hard when you are falling. _I mean literally falling, not metaphorically._

"JAAAAAAAAAAAAKE, DO SOMETHING!"

"I'm trying Finn, believe me, I'm trying!

Wind continually whip their faces as they plummet to the ground on unfathomable speeds. The land of Alternate Ooo seemed to be getting closer to them, not the other way around. This was the meeting Finn was not excited for. Falling to the ground is not really a heroic death now, isn't it?

"Why can't just Prismo teleport us safely on the ground?!"

"I dunno, man! Beats me!"

"What did you say?"

"I said I don't know!"

Finn frowned, he can't hear Jake well but his brother can hear him. He suddenly panicked, thinking that he finally became deaf because of the punishing winds. That is until he realized Jake is a dog. Dogs have better hearing than humans. Jake the Dog, the magic dog. _Magic..._

"Jake! I need wings!"

"Dude, have you finally gone insane? That's - wait, that's cool!"

Jake deformed his body and made a makeshift wings to act as a glider, attaching himself to his brother's back. The dog was barely in time to save them both; they were so close to the ground that Finn could already see that the trees below them are apple trees. The Jake-wing drifted along the breeze and gracefully carried him on a nice ride, affording a decent view of the world below them.

"Things look very much the same. Are you sure Prismo sent us to the correct universe?"

Jake paused for a while, busily avoiding a bird that berated them with a thick accent. "There's only one way to find out. To the Tree Fort, dude!"

"Sounds mathematical! Faster, Jake!"

"Finn, we're not really flying. This is called gliding, Jakey style!"

"Whatever, whatevs. C'mon!"

Finn shifted his weight to the left and tried gazing at the distance. He could see the Candy Kingdom, alright. It served as a passable landmark to locate their Tree Fort, which they did. Landing smoothly on the relative location where the Tree Fort should have been located, they were quite disappointed that there was no tree at all.

"AltOoo then. This tree won't even support my buns." Jake snapped a twig out of the measly tree that should have been their Tree Fort. It barely towered Finn's height.

"AltOoo?"

"Alternate Ooo, bro."

"Wow, that's rad of a name for this world." Finn extended his arm and shared a fistbump with his dog brother.

The bright morning sky seems to project a perfect mood for an adventure. This AltOoo excites his boy heart to no end. Everything new is exciting, and this world is certainly new to him. It is practically begging to be explored.

"C'mon Jake, to the Candy Kingdom!"

"Oh, wait now my bro-ham. Remember what Prismo said earlier?" He stared at Finn, being grave serious all of a sudden. That should be an achievement for his buddy.

"Let's see...limit the people who will know our presence, remember the true mission, and never bring back to home anything that belonged here." He counted in his fingers all three most important things Prismo ordered.

Jake looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, that means we can't bring any loot, treasure or FOOD! That sucks big time."

"Jake...look at the brighter side. We could...We could...I can't think of anything on the brighter side." Finn scratched his head in frustration. "Jake?"

"What's our mission again?"

"Man, don't tell me you forgot already?"

The dog plopped down on the grass and absentmindedly petted the small tree. Finn followed suit, feeling the familiar tickle of the grass as they sway in sync with the wind. The ever present smell of leafy plants always accompanied the breeze sweeping across the grasslands

"I kinda didn't heard everything *grumble* *grumble*."

"Meh, you're just busy stuffing your face with that pickles."

"So, will you just tell me or not?"

"Okay. Prismo asked us to take down Ice Prince before he accept the full power of his bionic arm, or something." Now that he thought of it, it seemed silly.

"That supposed to make sense?"

Finn nodded, look sideways, and then nodded some more. "You trust that Prismo guy so much, why stop now?"

"You're right. So let's beat that Ice Prince and get back home!"

"Awesome!"

Finn gazed at the Candy Kingdom again, plans forming in his head. They could storm the Prince's lair; it should be in the same place as the Ice King's. The only problem is that Prismo said that guy is bazillion times more dangerous than that old crazy fool and it would be stupid to attack him where that guy lives.

"Stake out."

"Steak? Where?!"

"Jake...I mean let's hide somewhere in Candy Kingdom and wait for that guy to appear."

Jake took out his jar of pickles and started munching noisily. "Where would we hide, dude?"

"On top of Princess Bubblegum's room. That tower is high enough to let us see anyone approaching."

"Finn, I thought Prismo said this guy doesn't kidnap Princesses?"

"Have you got any good idea then?"

"You know I don't! HAHA!"

Jake enlarged himself and placed Finn on his back, starting to walk casually towards the Candy Kingdom. A sense of adventure always summon butterflies in Finn's stomach, a kind of giddiness he can't make sure what. But he can't help feel a nagging feeling in the back of his mind, telling him he is lacking one important thing.

"Jake, I need a sword."

"Choose Goose?"

"Where does Choogs live anyway? His stall could be all over the place!" Jake contemplated for a while, then pointed at the Candy Kingdom. "Let's go ask those Banana Guards!"

Finn nodded, silently wishing the alternate universe Choose Bruce have more awesome things than the one in his own universe. Urging Jake to speed up, they reached the front gates of the kingdom. Finn pulled up a part of his bear hat to cover half of his face. Prismo said to limit people who will know their presence so they will need a disguise. Well, specifically, he needs to hide the fact that he is a human.

"Who goes there?" One of the Banana Guards standing at the gate spoke with false bravado.

"I'm Davey, the Noodle Ninja." Finn let his arms and feet wave with such fluidity, they look noodles alright.

"And I'm Zeke, the Stretchy Potato!" Finn looked incredulously at his brother. Everything could go wrong in mere seconds if the guards found out who are they. The two Banana Guards looked at each other then frowned at Jake, seemingly lost in thoughts.

"Uh, dude? We know you're a dog."

Jake let out a defeated sigh."Well, that's a bummer. We just want to ask if you know where we could find Choose Goose."

"Choose Goose? His stall is located in the kingdom's marketplace nowadays. Just follow this path." The Banana Guard pointed to their left, where a bustling street stretched on and on.

"Thanks guys!" Finn patted both of the sentient bananas and passed through the gate, following their directions. Jake followed suit, whistling his Bacon Pancake song. Their adventure haven't really started yet but things are already going fine.

As they passed the candy people, Finn heard bits of conversations. The central topic among this talks really intrigued him so he nudged Jake and scooted closer to clumps of people. What he heard made him tense.

"...Princess Bubblegum found a human boy?"

"Yes, and probably the last."

"I wonder where he came from, that boy?"

"Apparently, my contact on the castle said the boy was found in some ruins, slumbering inside a machine that freezed him."

"Wow, that is some awesome info Waffle Willy!"

"I've heard the Princess plans to introduce the boy to the kingdom tomorrow, and let him train with Joshua the Dog to become our newest hero!"

Finn relaxed a little, realizing he was not the one being talked about. Still, Prismo said the Finn of this universe was too far gone as the Ice Prince. So who is that human? He looked at Jake questioningly, who just shrugged.

"A new hero, huh? Too bad that Ice Prince behaved himself now. I kinda want to see some serious fight."

"Mr. Creampuff, how could you say that? We want peace, not skirmishes."

So that Ice Prince no longer does bad things. Finn was confused by that fact. How could Prismo and Cosmic Owl say that that guy is bad news? He is not kidnapping princesses and not terrorizing innocents anymore.

"C'mon Jake, let's find Choose Goose and get a new sword."

"There he is!"

They approach the stall placed strategically along the road, providing it advantages in being easily seen by potential customers. Choose Goose really knows how to operate a business. Making sure his Noodle Ninja disguise is still on, he waved at the goose. He's very much the same one from his own universe, a duck wearing a silly lute suit and moves awkwardly, as if always tired or lazy.

"Hey there Choogs!" Jake waved an extra large hand at him.

"Oh I really achieved _fame_, that a complete stranger knows my nick..._name!"_

"Hehe, me and my buddy Davey just kinda figured it out. Right, Davey?"

"That's right, Zeke."

"So what brings you to my _store_, which has everything you can ask _for?_ "

"I need a sword, I really awesome-sauce sword!"

Choose Goose pulled a string behind him, parting a curtain that revealed a rack containing three swords of varying appearances. Finn looked at them, struck with awe. Compared to the Armor and the Nerdicon Glass, these things looked awesome-sauce alright.

"This left one _here, _can incinerate anyone who will _interfere._" He picked up an orange sword inscribed with unreadable signs. It really looked familiar. With a swish, the blade burned with intense flames and glowed a lively orange.

"Hey, Finn, I mean, Davey! Isn't that the one that spider dude found somewhere in the woods as present for his girl?"

"How did you knew that _fact? _I found it stabbed and a dead spider's _back. _"

"Nevermind, Choogs. Tell us about the other two swords." He shot an apprehending look at Jake for being too mouthy.

"If you choose the middle _route_ , I'll present you the the sword from Citadel of _Truth_." He picked up a long sword with a hilt that resembles a sleeping number eight." The blade itself emits a blue aura that slowly creeps towards them.

"Uh...I think I've heard that place before. What does that sword do?" Finn felt skeptical, like he was learning something he shouldn't even know.

"If you use it to _slice _, why, it will dispel all _lies_ !"

"Man, I think I don't understand that one." Jake twiddled his fingers absentmindedly.

"You two are tricky _buyers _, but no worries, I always take care of my..._customers! "_

"That's lame."

"Zeke! Be quiet!"

Choose Goose dismissed him, assuring them he doesn't mind what the dog said. He picked up the last sword. It looked pretty normal, a gleaming blade set on a simple looking hilt. The grey crossguard slightly resembled the one on his broken Demon Blood Sword, just a bit smaller and simpler.

"Behold the blade of utter destruction, a sword that's powered by your imagination!" He swung the sword in a semi-circle, but nothing happened. "Lately I'm _drained , _and I can't be _entertained..." _

"What's wrong?" Finn was really let down now, he expected the sword to be really special. Suddenly, Choose Goose handed him the sword and motioned him to give it a swing. Feeling foolish, he swung the sword fiercely.

"Woah! Davey, look!"

Finn inspected the sword, which now looks almost completely the same as the Demon Blood Sword. "This is so math, Zeke! I was just thinking of Dad's sword and it changed to it!"

"But, look, you did not got some details right." Jake pointed at the handle, which lacked the red cloth that hid the summoning chant for Keeoth.

"Well, I'm not really focusing...Hey Choogs, how much does this awesome-sauce sword costs?"

"Because you are a new _entry _, you can get that sword for _free _!" Choose Goose threw colorful bits of paper into the air, as if congratulating them.

"That's swell, Choogs!" They both shouted with glee. Finn doesn't really have much money in his backpack.

"Just tell other people the _word _, where you got that _sword _!"

Finn nodded in appreciation, heck it is a new sword for free! He only felt bad after realizing he can't bring it with him back to his own universe. It would have surely been a good help back there. Maybe Choose Goose in his own universe has this kind of sword too?

"Hey what is this sword called, anyway?" He asked the goose merchant, obviously curious as to how to call the sword in his hands.

"Be _ready _ to bask in the _glory _ of the _Imatari _!"

He twirled the sword in his hand, feeling the familiar grip of the Demon Blood Sword. Finn focused on another sword he had, the one Jake got for his birthday years ago. He marveled at the split-second transformation of the weapon into the Root Sword.

"This Imatari is so math. Thanks Choogs! Count on us to advertise your shop!"

Sheathing the sword on his back, he felt it change form into its original appearance. They waved at the goose and proceeded towards the general direction of the Candy Castle, which can be easily seen anywhere in the Kingdom. It is a complete copy of the Candy Castle from his own universe, right down to the different hues of pink used for walls and such.

"Wish we could at least introduce ourselves to the Peebubs of this universe."

"Nah, Finn. We can't. C'mon, get on my back and let's go up to PB's tower."

The actual climb upwards Princess Bubblegum's tower was an easy task for Jake, and in mere seconds they were already chilling at the top. The height kind of made it a bit hard to spy on the people below, but it did afford a perfect view of the surroundings. Finn certainly believed this was a great idea. He took out his awesome Imatari sword and swung it around.

"You know Finn, I'm just worried about that sword."

"Why, bro?"

"It's beefed up by the power of imagination, right?"

"Yeah, and so?"

"Dude, your imagination sucks, remember?"

"I can manage. I'm a fledgling drea-"

A soft crying cut off his monologue, easily getting his attention. It seemed to have come from the open window of Princess Bubblegum. Jake eagerly stretched and bended himself downwards and towards PB's room. The dog visibly tensed, making Finn worry.

"Dude, what's wrong?"

"Finn, you've got to see this!"

One of Jake's appendage coiled around him and placed him inside the candy royalty's room. Finn looked around the room, confused at first at what should he be seeing. That is until he saw in the corner of the room the girl he had been secretly wanting to see in this universe.

"Flame Princess?"

~~o~~

The show-stopping battle between the two Finn is on its way! Well, maybe not show-stopping...I dunno. Finn is on Candy Castle, Ice Prince is on his way, and Sawyer is somewhere in the Candy Kingdom Hospital.

Ooobserver: Yeah, I think Sawyer is a bit too skilled in that chapter...Maybe I'll edit some parts to remedy that sometime.

Read and Review guys.


	8. Chapter 8

I do not own Adventure Time, but I do plan on buying a complete DVD set, watch repeatedly until I get old and fat.

~~o~~

Chapter 7 - Limitless and Borderless

"Finn! Jake! Are you in there?" Marceline was steadily getting annoyed. She had been calling out for the two nutcases for over 5 minutes now. Even an immortal vampire has limited patience, contrary to popular and stupid belief.

The sun was almost down as she gazed into the horizon, finally closing her umbrella and tucking it away. Marceline planned to spend the rest of the night with the two and have fun with them, thinking it as a proper 'thank you' for caring for her in the past months. She could hardly imagine the troubles she had caused the two during the time when she was turned into a baby. _Sometimes Bonnibel has the wackiest ideas...why did I ever said yes to participate in her mad scientist urges?_

"Graaah...where are those dweebs?"

Finally losing her cool, Marceline let herself inside and put her umbrella on the stand. She looked around and marveled at the vast riches and treasures the two adventurers had managed to collect from their travels.

"Wow. Whoever Finn marries will be filthy stinking rich all of a sudden."

Marceline hovered up to the second floor, not bothering to use the wooden ladders, and found herself in the middle of the ever homely kitchen and living room. Her frequent visits to the Tree Fort always brought about bittersweet memories between her and Ash. _My worst mistake in my undead life._

"BMO? Are you there?" Her queries was only met by deafening silence. More often than not, Finn and Jake never left their house without someone looking over it. But today, even BMO was gone.

Marceline thought for a second, picking apart details she noticed. _Door was unlocked, windows are open, and food was left on the table. What could have happened that forced them to leave in a hurry?_

"This sounds like trouble. Maybe I should call Bonnie..." Gliding towards the phone, her eyes caught sight of a book placed on top of the dining table that really looked familiar. Quickly moving closer, she gasped in realization.

"The Enchiridion? How did they got this?"

The Enchiridion lay dusty and faded, but it was indeed a magnificent book. Although it is in bad condition - with pages, bookmarks, and tabs sticking out of it - the design really made it stand out. There is a bird, a skull, some grapes, and a sword in the center of the cover. Around the center is a ring of six gems. There are also two shields at the bottom and the word "Enchiridion" on the top front. She shivered at its presence.

Marceline picked up the tome-like book and opened a random page, feeling in her hands the smooth surface of the paper. Simon Petrikov risked his life for this book around 1000 years ago. From what she remembered about his stories, this book holds wonders within its secret confinements. She cringed at the lost opportunities for Simon to tell her more before he succumbed at the Crown's influence.

"At least he told me the key to opening this thing starts with shining a concentrated light at one of the shields." Thinking that her vampiric powers would be enough, Marceline zapped one of the said shields.

Suddenly, the shield shook and opened to reveal a piece of gem that projects a frog-like creature that immediately launched into incomprehensible babble of words. The hologram appears to be sentient enough. Without warning, a cluster of odd shapes hovered above the book.

"Hey, hey girl? Are you even listening? This is super important. The mutiverse is in danger again and only dared to consult me, Booko and *blah*blah*"

"STOP! Please. Wait a sec, man!" Marceline tried covering the hologram but failed to. He did stopped talking though. "I just need to know where is Finn and Jake."

"Finn and Jake of 2nd Branch of Alpha Universe can be found in the 14th Branch of Beta Universe. They are currently residing in that universe's Candy Castle."

Suddenly, a live view of the said location became visible in the hologram. Marceline is almost at complete lost. She knew that there are other universes scattered around the multiverse, but she never thought that there would be this many. _What is those two doing in there?_

"Hey Booko, what is happening?"

"I can only tell so much. You need to speak to Prismo personally!"

"Okay, what do I have to do?"

"Twist that sword and see what happens."

Marceline did as what she was told and was amazed as how the Enchiridion can contain so much secret compartments. It now shows numerous crevices of various shapes placed around a circular crevice in the center. _These shapes seems familiar._

"Find all the keys and insert them into the back, only then you can speak to Prismo."

"This looks complicated...but I can manage!"

After all, she already have an idea what these keys are. Marceline hovered close to the telephone and dialed Bonnie's number. The candy monarch answered on the third ring. Marceline felt a squirm inside her as she heard Bonnie's cute voice.

"Hello, Princess Bubblegum speaking. Who's this?"

"Bonnie, you've got to help me. Assemble every princess you know tonight here in the Tree Fort. Finn and Jake looks like to be in trouble!"

"What? What happened? I was indeed starting to get worried about them."

Marceline smacked her forehead. "Look, I don't have much time, I think. Just do as I said, please."

"Alright, Marceline."

She ended the call and looked at the Enchiridion. Booko is no longer active, much to her dismay. Out of desperation for something to do while waiting, Marceline decided to go to her house and retrieve her bass axe. Night has completely taken over the day. The moon shone brightly down Ooo, oblivious to the turmoil that will probably arise. Marceline had reached her home in few minutes, picked up her bass axe lying on her bed, and went outside again. On her way back to the Tree Fort, she caught sight of almost every princess in Ooo.

"Finding the right keys will probably take longer than I expected..."

~~o~~

"Why should I go to the Kingdom again, Flanna?"

Ice Prince sat on a boulder outside a forest that leads to the Candy Kingdom. The hot afternoon sun did not bothered him that much. He blatantly refused to fly any further if Flanna does not explain some things to him.

_I want to show you something. Something that will forever change your disposition for that Princess Bubblegum._

"Couldn't you just tell me instead? C'mon, I really don't want to see those people."

_Too bad you don't get to decide on this, my love._

"And why is that, huh?" He stood on the rock, slightly annoyed.

_Because...if you don't heed my requests, I'll leave you alone again. For the third time._

Ice Prince froze in panic. He doesn't want to be alone all over again.

_That's right. So, are you ready to go now?_

Without another word, he shot up across the sky and flew towards the Kingdom. The wind parted away easily for him, offering little resistance against him. Ice Prince almost never heard the incessant calls for him below. He is well outside the forest grounds now, and who would even want to talk to him?

_That guy, I guess._

Joshua the Dog waved at him, motioning him to go down. Begrudgingly, he complied and swooped down near the golden dog. He warily eyed the red sword in Joshua's left hand. He wondered what is wrong now.

"What do you want, Joshua?"

"Where are you going? You look like you are in a hurry, my boy."

"Pssh, I'm older than you, okay?"

"Just answer my question, son."

Ice Prince blasted a nearby tree, freezing it all over. "It's none of your business, Joshua!"

"Look, I won't bother you anymore if you just tell me where you are headed to!"

"Okay! I'm headed for the Candy Castle! There, happy now?"

Suddenly, the dog raised his sword and pointed it at him. Ice Prince frowned. Is Joshua, the noble hero, breaking his promise? This was clearly unprecedented. He backed away, an alarmed look in his face.

"I thought if I said where I am going, you'll leave me alone?"

"Well, there are always exceptions. The Princess forbid you to go anywhere near the Candy Kingdom. Look, if you know what's best for you, my boy, you'll turn around and go away." The dog assumed an offensive stance. Ice Prince had heard of what this bipedal can do, and if the stories where true, he doesn't really stand a chance of winning in direct melee combat. "Or else..."

Ice Prince stood his ground. _Fight him, my prince. End that fool's existence! _"Or else what?"

"You'll have to answer to my blade, boy."

With surprising agility, Joshua disappeared with a blur and delivered a quick swipe of his red sword. He just got away in time to avoid that slice, but not the punch that followed. It rattled his teeth, and it really hurt.

"You stupid fleabag! I'll freeze you!" He shot a barrage of ice in Joshua, who deflected the shards lazily with his sword.

"Is that all you can do? I thought living for so long could fill your head with knowledge?"

"Shut up!" Ice Prince summoned an ice sword, cursing himself for forgetting to equip the blade attachment to his arm. _You can no longer use that, your mechanical arm is now fused with the crown, remember? USE MY POWER, PRINCE, or we will both die here!_

"Keep quiet, Flanna! I can defeat this illusionary mutt!"

"Son, who are you talking to?"

He did not replied but instead thrusted his sword in Joshua's face. The dog expertly flicked away his attack, sending him and his ice sword to the ground. Joshua promptly smashed the cold blade with his own. Ice Prince retaliated by summoning two ice daggers and tried to drive both to the dog's hindquarters. Joshua evaded in the nick of time, earning a long but shallow gash in the process.

"Stop moving so much you butt sniffer!"

The experienced hero punched him again, this time in his stomach. Air was forced out of his lungs, winding him. He grabbed Joshua's arm and froze it so hard that it became iced all over in seconds. The dog kicked him away, sending him sprawling on the grassy soil. His ice daggers lay shattered a few feet from him.

"Not bad, lad."

At the least, he can no longer use both of his arm to swing the red blade. _Now is your chance! Accept my power, c'mon! This will be over before you know it!_

"No! I've got this!" The dog looked at him incredulously.

Focusing all his ice magic on his outstretched left hand, dark clouds gathered above them. The wind started to howl ferociously, carrying the biting cold temperature. Ice Prince can see the look of confusion slowly creeping up Joshua's face. In a split-second, a large ball of ice magic erupted from his left hand and beamed down on Joshua. The dog tried deflecting the ice with his sword, but he only lasted for a few seconds before he was encased completely in ice.

The Ice Prince ceased his barrage of magic and looked curiously at the sword. Walking closer to the dropped weapon, he was mildly shocked to find it not affecfed at all by his ice magic. It wasn't even cold to touch. _That's the Demon Blood Sword. It contains blood from Keeoth, the Parallel Demon. You should take it, my prince._

"Demon Blood Sword, huh? Thanks for the present, Joshua!" He knows the ice won't hold the hero for too long, so he summoned an ice scabbard on his back that fitted the sword perfectly and shot upwards again.

He stared past the grasslands and towards the Candy Kingdom. _I assure you, you will definitely be interested on what you'll see, my prince._

"Then let us be on our way."

~~o~~

So, yeah. Farmworld Finn has just acquired the Demon Blood Sword. Finn is with the Imatari Blade. Could you guess what would be Sawyer's? Hehe. Next chapter would deal with him, then Finn and Flame Princess.

Ooobserver: Haha. Yeah, that undercover thing was pretty fun to write. I just found it difficult to recreate Choose Goose's way of talking. And yeah, that moment where Ice Prince handed over his princess to PB kinda left a mark on me. Only, in this story, PB is not the same benevolent ruler on the main universe. Hint: Mistress.

Read and Review dudes!


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own Adventure Time. Pen Ward does. I wonder if they need a janitor there in their studio or something...Whatevs. On with the freak show!

~~o~~

Chapter 8 - Lies and Memories

_...awake?_

Sawyer's stomach growled in starvation. Light slipped through the crack in his eyelids, coloring the skin inside a dazzling orange. He fluttered his eyes open and tried focusing on his immediate surroundings. _A hospital? Where the hell am I?_

He tried moving his fingers, and to his relief, he could move alright. Panic struck him, the last thing he remembered was he used the machine in hopes of a better life. Now, he couldn't remember getting here. Numerous hospital beds lined symmetrically along the large hospital ward. Sawyer looked sideways to his right and got a mild shock.

"So you're awake, human. What's your name?"

Maybe he was finally losing it, but he could swear a giant walking ice cream dressed in doctor's clothes just talked to him. He blinked twice, then rubbed both of her eyes. The ice cream doctor was still there, smiling down on him.

"What are YOU? Where am I?" Sawyer bolt upright, knocking the doctor away. "I...uh, I'm sorry."

"It's alright. Please calm down, your body should be still recovering from your millennial slumber." The strange doctor pushed him softly down against the hospital bed.

"My what?" He looked down on his body and was shocked to see that all wound he got have healed already.

"Look, human, this is the Land of Ooo - what you called Earth years ago - and you are in the Candy Kingdom."

His head hurt after trying to digest the information. Ooo? Candy Kingdom? A talking ice cream doctor? A hospital? Everything was so absurd. Unthinkable. He absentmindedly stared at the cream on the doctor's head. _So the machine did worked. But what did it do to me exactly? _

"What happened to me uh...doctor?" Sawyer tried to remain calm, but he could already feel anxiety kicking in. He willingly forced himself to forego the violent thoughts forming in his head, escape situations and such.

Suddenly, a beautiful pink-skinned lady dressed in fancy gown, crown on her head and a smile on her face stood on the door of the ward. Her equally pink beehive-styled hair complemented her kind face well. Something about the lady seemed familiar to Sawyer. "You've been sleeping for around a millennium, human."

Sawyer froze in fear. _That voice._

"Princess Bubblegum, Your Highness, it's always good to see you."

"How's the _boy _? Why does he looked pale?"

Sawyer was no longer paying attention. His head felt dizzy as memories clicked into place. This regal lady resembled someone, right down to the voice; someone he knew so much it hurt. His life. His living nightmare. _My sweet living nightmare._

_"Miss Bonnibel? Where will my papa and mama go now? Why are they leaving me?" He stared at the towering young lady standing next to him, clad in simple looking workwear. The mud was so deep now both of their feet were completely submerged. _

_"They are not going anywhere, my love." Miss Bonnibel finished shoveling and struck down the digging tool on the wet soil. _

_"Miss Bonnibel?" Are you al-"_

_"SHUT UP, YOU LITTLE BRAT!" The fierce look on Miss B. instantly made him cry. Ever since his parents got sick and became bedridden, Miss Bonnibel's attitude changed. Sawyer's young mind can't still comprehend what the change was though. "Oh, I'm sorry Sawyer, please don't cry..."_

_The lady scooted closer and hugged him so hard, pressing his head on her chest. Sawyer can swore he heard her moan softly. "Everything will be alright, my love. Everything..."_

"Are you alright, human? Maybe you need to lie down first?" The princess inquired politely, locking her eyes with his.

_"Why is Mrs. Norton's tummy so bloated, Miss Bonnibel?" Sawyer's adoptive mother was busy writing in her little book again. He wished he could read what she was writing, but that would probably result in a sore butt._

_"No, my son, Mrs. Norton is pregnant. Her tummy has a baby." His stepmother smiled sweetly at him._

_"What? She ate a baby? Miss Bonnibel, we've got to save the baby!"_

_Miss Bonnibel laughed heartily at his reaction. "No, my silly boy, that baby is her son. In some more months, the baby will come out and grow up like you."_

_"Oh...Hey Miss Bonnibel? Can I ask a question?" The lady looked at him warily, already getting tired of his questions._

_"What is it?"_

_"How do you make a baby? I want a brother! Well...I do have a big brother, but...How about it, Miss Bonnibel? How do you make a baby?"_

_The look his stepmom gave him made him remember the cover of one of his story books. It depicted a fox who wanted to eat a baby, and the look on his stepmom's face kinda resembles the fox's face after seeing the baby for the first time. _

_"Sooner, my love, I'll tell you how." She beckoned him to get closer, the smile on her face both creepy and sweet. _

"Hello, human? Are you ok? Hello, Ooo to human!"

"Princess, the boy must be experiencing memory reflux like what you said."

_"Miss Bonnibel, I mean, Mistress Bonnibel! Please, don't kill Bartram! I beg you!" Sawyer clung on his stepmom's back. He's now tall enough to reach her neck without standing on the balls of his feet._

_"Be quiet, Sawyer! I do not need your opinion on this! If I don't kill this mule, we'll starve this winter! So shut up or I won't let you sleep in my bed tonight, my love."_

_She eyed him teasingly. Sawyer wanted to puke at the thought of her stepmother thinking he enjoys their nightly 'tutorials'. The once lovable Miss Bonnibel was too far gone. Slowly degraded by carnal desires and desperate illusions of procreation. They both well know that procreation nowadays will no longer work, with the radiated environment to blame. But on grounds she did not cared to explain, they still do the sinful acts. Sawyer find it hard to admit the once benevolent teacher was now an abusive mother._

_"Go to your room! I'll be there in a moment."_

_He ran away, their small house offering little space between him and the dying mule's cries of pain. At that moment, he almost wished they lived in a tent like the other people of New Junktown. At least his Mistress would have to go outside to butcher the mule. Sawyer never got to sleep that night, the dying wails haunted him whenever he closes his eyes._

"Doctor Ice Cream, you can leave now. I've got this."

"Yes, Princess Bubblegum."

_"I love you, Say. You're great, as always."_

_"I love...I...love...I lo-" A hard punch to his gut forced the air out of his lungs, his bare chest heaving in pain._

_"Speak clearly, you ungrateful bastard!"_

_"I love you too, Mistress Bonnie." He was about to stand away from her bed but her stepmother pulled him again for a kiss._

_"That's better, my love. Always remember that I love you and I own you." Sawyer accidentally inhaled the scent of her golden locks of hair. In all the years that passed, she did not aged much for some reason. Mistress Bonnie remained beautiful and as much as he felt so wrong about it, he was starting to reciprocate her love. To his horror, sometimes he found that he liked the bruises and cuts from her rough-housing. Still, everything felt so messed up. Everything seems so wrong._

_"Now listen Say, I have something for you to memorize and carved into your mind." She reached for a piece of paper on her bedside table and handed it to him. "That is an oath, and you shall keep it. Forever."_

_He looked at the paper and read. In the back of his mind, he thought how keeping this oath will seal the coffin of his freedom. In the end of the world, you must do everything to exist. _

_"Read it loudly, baby."_

_"Thank you, Mistress Bonnie, I am forever in your debt. My body is yours, my soul is yours, and my will is yours. Yours and yours alone. You were there to raise me when my father cannot. You were there to care for me when my mother cannot. You were there to guide me when my brother cannot. I am a part of you, have always been and will always be." _

_The lady leaned and kissed him full in the lips. He fought the tears that threaten to escape from his eyes. This is his brother's fault. Everything is his fault. _

"Are you out of it now, human? Are you listening now?" Sawyer snapped out of his reverie and looked straight in to the princess' kind eyes.

"I'm sorry Mistress Bo-I mean Princess...?"

"Bubblegum. Princess Bubblegum. What is your name?"

"Uh...I'm Ben Sawyer Mertens. You can call me Sawyer." He thought for a second. If what they said was true, it would be impossible for his Mistress to live for a kind princess certainly can't be his mistress. That is absurd.

"Oh...Sawyer. Alright. Do you feel fine? No more memory reflux?" The princess took out a small notebook and pen, then promptly wrote something.

"Memory reflux?"

"Flashbacks and such."

"I've had some earlier. Now I'm fine. Just starving."

The pink monarch laughed, sending chills down his spine. "Well, you would have been starving. You didn't ate for a whole millennium, I guess."

He laughed shyly. Feeling already pulled by her charms. "Thank you for saving me, Your Highness."

"Oh, saving you from that ruins was a part of my duty as a righteous ruler." She smiled again. Suddenly, much to Sawyer's horror, the most terrifying but beautiful creature that ever haunted one of his nightmares rested its head on the Princess's shoulder. Its rainbow serpentine body coiled and relaxed.

Sawyer's eyes fell upon his axe lying on top of the bedside table. With one fluid motion, he snatched it and tried to cleave the equine creature in two, only to be pushed back by the monarch. "Stop! She's Lady Rainicorn. Her kind no longer eats humans!"

He stopped and dropped the weapon instantly. The very same feeling he felt whenever his Mistress ordered him to do something came back to him; the feeling of total submission. Sawyer shook away the bitter thought.

"I'm sorry, Princess...it's just that I l spent my life years ago avoiding those creatures." The rainbow creature spoke in language he did not understand.

"She said, it's alright. Also, she said you look pretty handy in direct combat."

"And...so?"

"You see, I can offer you residence in my kingdom. Only, every people here contributes to the general wellness of the kingdom and its economy. Everyone must do something in return for citizenship. A job."

"I can be a servant, Princess. I'm handy with a broom and rags too."

"No, I want you to be the Candy Kingdom's hero. A knight, if you will, an adventurer."

Sawyer thought for a while. That job looks pretty dangerous, even for him. He doesn't even know what new dangers lurk in this new world. On the other hand, he doesn't have anywhere to go. And this royalty seemed like to the type to be bargained with.

"Alright, Your Highness, I accept."

"Perfect. Now you are an upcoming hero of the kingdom, you are required to train under Joshua the Dog in ways of combat, study under my guidance, and answer to my every call anytime and anywhere. Do you understand, Mertens?" She stood so straight she looked taller than she really is.

"I understand, Your Highness."

"Good, you'll start your duties when you're in fit condition. I expect good things from you, Mertens the Human." The princess smiled sweetly again, relaxing a bit.

He nodded and smiled back. "You can call me Sawyer, Princess."

"Um...can I call you Say instead? Sawyer is kinda mouthful."

He froze. No...that's just a coincidence. It should be. _You won't defile my next attempt at a better life, Mistress._

"It's alright, Princess Bubblegum."

"You shouldn't be so formal with me, Say the Human. Bonnie is okay. Just don't call me that in public though."

_Bonnie?! This is too much for a coincidence! But-_

"Yes, Bonnie."

"Alright, I hope you get better soon. I have to go now. I have some business to attend to. See yah around, Say." The princess shot a one last smile at him before going out of the ward. Sawyer just smiled in response.

_Keep your emotions in check, Sawyer! Don't mess things up now! She's just a lady that have the same voice, similar face, and same name but nothing else! Snap out of it._

The ice cream doctor came back with a tray of food for him. He ate in silence, contemplating on his princess. Sawyer thanked God the food was not alive like the doctor. It would be so wrong to eat sentient spaghetti and toast. He stared out of the window and instantly felt better.

"Wow! The sky is blue!"

"Well, of course. It is blue. What else should it be colored?"

It was probably the first time he saw a blue sky. It was infinitely more beautiful to look at than the bleak greenish sky he grew up with. Sawyer continued to marvel at the sky until he saw something flying slowly toward the kingdom. It appeared to be a person in blue clothing, a flying person, much to his disbelief.

"Who is that guy, doc?"

~~o~~

_You said I'm your biggest mistake. Why? Is it because we are opposites? Should't a prince must save his princess like in the stories we read? _

"Where are you, Ice Prince?"

Her fists hurt from banging the glass lamp thingy she was held in. The evil candy princess had locked her up in this thing for 'research purposes'. Whatever she meant by that, Flame Princess doesn't know. All she knows was that the past 5 days where all painful for her, painful and terrifying. She doesn't even know half of what the evil candy girl had done to her. Stripping her of clothing? She remembered how her Prince found that wrong, but her captor have different views on the matter. Her mind was easily confused in just few days.

"My chest hurts..." Her bulging chest was the focus of research last night by the princess, and it felt wonderful at first. That was until the princess became so aggressive. Flame Princess just cried and cried during the whole 'research'. She can't comprehend how someone so beautiful could be so evil. Apparently, her fairy tales were lies.

"Just like how you lied to me, my Prince! Why?"

A pain shot up in her chest again as lava tears ran down her face. Suddenly, a golden stretchy dog peered into the room from the open window. The dog looked at her, seemingly surprised. _Who is this cute dog?_

"Finn, you've got to see this!"

The stretchy-bendy dog's arm elongated upward the roof. In seconds, the arm came back with a guy dressed in light blue shirt and dark blue shorts with a sword in his hand. The boy concealed much of his face with some kind of mask Flame Princess doesn't know yet. He looked around and saw her in the lamp, raising a question inside her as to why these strangers seemed to know her.

"Flame Princess!"

The boy's shrill voice scared her as he ran toward him. "Please don't hurt me!"

"Why would I hurt you, Princess?" The boy pulled up his mask, which turned out to be a hat, and revealed his face to her. His long golden hair instantly captivated her. "It's me Finn!"

The dog tapped his shoulder. "Dude, she's not the FP from our universe."

The boy called Finn looked at his companion and then back to her. "Oh yeah...My bad, Jake. Sorry Princess!"

"Why do you know my name? Who are you? Did my Prince sent you to get me? I'm so scared here..." She can't help but trust these two cute strangers in an instant, like somehow she knew them before.

"Don't worry, Princess, we'll get you out!" The one called Finn put back his hat and then dashed behind the lamp. "Jake, do you know how to operate this thing?"

The dog called Jake went closer to Finn and looked at the contraptions that was needed for the lamp to operate. "I remember Flame King pulling a lever in this type of thing...Aha! Here it is."

The glass container opened, surprising Flame Princess. The voices of the two kind strangers no longer sound garbled. "Thank you...Finn and Jake?"

"Yeah. I'm Finn and this is my brother, Jake."

"Dude! Aren't we supposed to be Davey and Zeke?"

"Nah. Flame Princess here already knows our name, so why bother?"

"Why are you hiding your true names? Are you bad people?" She slowly backed away inside her lamp."

"NO! We're not! We're just on important secret mission, that's all. Me and Jake won't hurt you, and it's a promise."

Flame Princess hesitated and looked straight at the boy's face. Somehow, he reminds him of her Prince. Something about the way they both act and treat her kinda makes them blur together in her mind. She stepped out of the lamp and walked closer to them. Jake was now jumping up and down on the evil Princess Bubblegum's soft bed.

"Man, you've got to try PB's bed! It's so soft and squishy, I want to eat her blanket. Hehe. It smells sweet and...some smell I can't seem to put my finger on...?"

"Jake, get out of that bed! We've got to go back on the roof." The boy was visibly blushing, completely reminding her of the similarities between him and her Ice Prince.

"Alright, alright. Let's get out of here."

But before they could get out, the door of the room opened wide. Princess Bubblegum came barging in, anger painted across her face and some kind of a weapon in her hand. She only had moments to duck down behind her new friends before a blast of white light flared from the weapon. When she opened her eyes, Flame Princess thought that the two were already dead.

"Princess Bubblegum! What are you doing?" Finn brandished his sword, very much alive.

"Who the nuts are you? Why do you know my name? And what are you doing with Flame Princess? Answer me now!"

"Dude, we can't risk the mission here. Let's go! Hop on my back you both!" Jake enlarged thrice his normal size, picked up both of them and stretched toward the roof. He immediately screamed in pain because of her fire.

Flame Princess felt scared of the evil princess so much, she almost failed to relish in the open air of her freedom. The dog set them back down on the roof, yelling in pain all the way. They are not really safe in here, that much she knows.

"I'm scared Finn, you don't know how evil is that Princess."

"What, no! Peebles is not evil. Well, maybe her experiments often become terrible monsters and such...but she isn't evil. Right, Jake?"

The dog did not respond to his question. Flame Princess looked back at the dog and saw him pointing at the distance. She followed where the dog was pointing and saw the single person she always wanted to see. Her heart started to beat madly, her flames intensified and hope started to come back to her.

"Ice Prince!"

"Flame Princess! Get back! That guy's dangerous! Jake pull her closer!"

Stretchy appendages wrapped around her and pulled him away from the edge of the roof. She instantly tried getting away, but the golden limbs only tightened. It instantly made her cry in pain.

"I'm sorry Princess!"

"DON'T YOU DARE HURT MY PRINCESS! Get away from her you mangy curs!" Her Ice Prince yelled in fury and she stopped. She never saw him this angry before. _What's wrong?_

"Finn, draw your sword!"

"Right on, Jake! Let's take down that guy and get back home!" The sword in Finn's hand changed to a short and golden blade. The gleaming edge marred with numerous cracks and chip.

"Hey, you two bastards! Stand down or I will strike you both to the ground! Princess Bubblegum ordered me to apprehend you both!"

Flame Princess followed the voice and saw a boy clad in some peculiar clothes. A grey hood, some kind of blue pants, a bag on his back, and an axe on his hand, the brown-haired boy'eyes shone with resolve. _He's a stark copy of her Prince, except the hair! Who is this boy?_

"Who the gleaming rhymes are you now, mortal? Are you all in cohorts with that Bubblegum to take away my Princess?! I'll freeze you all! Feel the wrath of whispering ice and snow!"

Flame Princess watched as the clear skies darkened, a cold blast of air surround them all. Whatever was happening, she was not sure if she would like the result. _I just want to be home with you, Prince. But you're scaring me._

"Finn, let's hustle!"

~~o~~

Now, I'm a standstill. The first big fight is coming but I'm stumped on who's perspective it should be. Sawyer, Finn, or Ice Prince? I can't decide, and I don't want to be in FP's perspective again. It's kinda hard to write with her personality. I don't know if I even justified her having a mind of a child.

Ooobserver: Thanks for all the support dude! Marceline's story arc is giving me troubles too. In my mind, it should be her that will clarify the alternate universe mythos with Prismo so I should definitely find a way for her to get the Time Room.

Get ready for a fight between the foul-mouthed Sawyer, goody-two shoes Finn, and crazy Ice Prince!

Read and Review dudes!


	10. Chapter 10

I do not own Adventure Time. It does occupy a lot of my time, though.

~~o~~

Chapter 9 - Blank Points Pt. 1

"Marceline, I swear if this was just another one of your elaborate jokey-joke-jokes, I'll have you thrown in my dungeons!"

"Well...I don't mind spending more time in _your dungeons._"

The candy monarch blushed furiously as the vampire laughed hard. Making Bonnie red in the cheeks never gets old. Marceline looked around and was relieved to see that most of the princesses were present, almost all faces held a look of annoyance. Well, except Embryo Princess, who was asleep as always. How she managed to get here was beyond her.

"Bonnie, how what did you do to convince all this princesses to come over?"

The pink lady looked at her sheepishly. "Well...I used certain methods you're...better off not knowing. So what's the reason for us to stand around Finn and Jake's house in the middle of the night?"

"Relax, wait here. I'll just get the Enchiridion."

"You WHAT?!" How did you got your hands on that artifact?" The princess looked visibly worried. "That ancient relic was destroyed by Finn a long time ago!"

"Look, I really don't know. Okay? Just wait here."

Marceline went inside the Tree Fort and retrieved the Enchiridion. Now that she thought of it, why was she doing all of these? It was not the first time those two goofballs got themselves in some strange situation, and she was not around to help them. What make this different? _Maybe the involvement of the Enchiridion and Simon? Whatever. Maybe I'm just bored._

"And I have to pay Finn someway or somehow for taking good care of me."

There appeared to be a commotion outside as she opened the front door. It seemed Bonnie had forgot to 'invite' Lumpy Space Princess, who thought all the princesses are having a slumber party at Finn's room. Marceline whistled in mixture of annoyance and amusement.

"Let me inside! You're all just jealous of my LUMPS!" LSP struggled against Muscle Princess firm grip. "Oh look, Finn! My dress was reaped to pieces!"

Marceline cringed, both mentally and physically. She went over Bonnie and tapped her shoulder to get her attention. A smile seemed to be plastered on her face, probably amused by LSP's usual antics. She raised the Enchiridion at chest level and twisted the sword-knob, which caused the middle of the book to open and reveal five unique holes arranged in circular fashion around a sixth larger hole.

"How did you knew that, Marceline?" The candy monarch was visibly impressed.

Marceline ignored her question, deciding it was time to gather everyone's attention. "Alright, Princesses! Gather around here because I have something to show to you all."

All the royalties complied, Embryo Princess's container in Bonnie's hand, and gathered around her. She heard mumblings of annoyance, some curious enough, most just wanted to go home. She have to do this swift and sure. Marceline doesn't know how Bonnie forced them to come but she hoped the reason will hold over until she got everything she needed.

"Stand back a bit, girls."

For the second time, Marceline zapped the little shield with his vampiric powers. The shield shook and opened to reveal a small piece of gem. Everyone was shocked to witness a small hologram of a creature emanated from the gem. Booko instantly launched into long incomprehensible babble before Marceline ordered him to slow down.

"As...you...wish...Marceline...The...Multiverse...is...comprised-"

Something in herself snapped as she drew her Bass Axe. "Not THAT slow, you jerk! Speak clearly or I will smash this book to pieces!"

Everyone gasped at her reaction, but at least they seemed to be interested now. "Pssh. You could destroy the Enchiridion, but it will only rematerialize near its' rightful owner."

"Why, you little creep?"

Bonnie held her hands before she could pummel the holographic nuisance. Marceline instantly calmed at her touch. She set down the axe and let the little guy continue with his rant. But this time, Booko did complied with her request to speak more clearly.

"Ahem, as I, Booko, was saying before I was rudely interrupted, the Multiverse is comprised of different universes that normally are separated from each other. But there are universes that are closely linked together, some just happened to be connected for a while, and others have artificial connections through powerful artifacts, such as this book. In the center of the Multiverse lies the Time Room, where time and space of the universes don't apply. In that room resides Prismo, the Almighty dude that can grant your any wish once." As Booko spoke, small shapes hovered over the book, each representing a universe in the Multiverse, as what she understood.

"This is the portion of the map of the Multiverse, and here is your universe. This one her e is the Time Room."

"Oh my Glob! Is that some kind of surveillance camera? Map, show me where Brad is!"

LSP excitedly shouted in glee. Despite the angry uproar from the crowd, the map zoomed and homed on a location where Brad should be located. The view was almost on Brad, who seemed to be taking a bath, before Marceline could stop Booko.

"LSP, don't do that again!" Bonnie scolded LSP with so much fury that the latter just cowered behind Wildberry Princess.

Everyone took a time to absorb the flood of information from Booko. Some Princess seemed genuinely interested in the wishmaster Prismo, others looked skeptical at most. These kind of things take time to be understood, she thought.

Suddenly, Turtle Princess, who remained silent until then, spoke with pure vindication. "Marceline, this is cool knowledge and all, girl. But what does these have to do with us?"

"Just listen more, okay?"

The turtle just stared at her indignantly as Booko continued explaining. "This very book in your midst contain vast amount of power with potential to rip open a passage between universes. It just needs six gems of power to as catalyst."

"Marceline, I think I know what you're doing." Bonnie looked at her with disdain. " Whatever you're planning to do must be ceased at once!"

"Wait Bonnibel, please! Just hear me out! Booko! Show us where Finn and Jake are located, now!"

"As you wish." Booko zoomed the map on a universe that lies parallel their own, continually enhancing the view until it reached the roof of what seemed to be Candy Castle tower.

"Finn and Jake!"

All the princesses are now glued to the live view as they watched Finn get beaten by someone that resembled a cross between Finn and Ice King. Marceline gasped as Finn was almost thrown outside of the roof, that would have resulted in his death. From that moment, her resolve became apparent. _I have to get to the bottom of this._

"They are in danger! You're right, Marceline!"

At least Bonnie was in same page as hers. Suddenly, everyone erupted in annoyance as the live view faded . All the royalties now want to be part of the apparent rescue effort, asking what they needed to do. Bonnie held her hand high to calm the ladies. Marceline took the time to get everyone's attention again.

"I need to get to the Time Room and demand an explanation from this Prismo guy, and Booko here will explain."

"All eyes over here ladies. As you can see, the book has six crevices around the middle. Six of those present here tonight held the correct gems of power each, which can unlock the Enchiridion's potential. You need to find out by placing all the gems near the book."

Marceline frowned. This will take a lot of time indeed. She watched as all the royalties placed the variously colored and shaped gems on the ground near the Enchiridion. In her estimate, there should be around thirty princesses present but still a gnawing feeling was forming in her gut. A cold wind unexplicably blew across the Grass Lands making her shiver much to his confusion. Vampires are naturally resistant to cold and heat.

"Are you alright, Marceline?"

Bonnie looked at her with concern and reached for her hand. It was Marceline's turn to blush. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit worried about those two dweebs."

The pink princess just continued to stare at her face, a grin slowly forming. "You actually care for those two?"

"Of course, I do! I seldom have friends that lasted as long as them."

"What? I'm not your _friend? _"

She stammered nervously. "What? Of course you're my..." Marceline wrestled her hand out of Bonnie's grip.

"What?"

"Look Bonnie, what we had years ago no longer applies today alright? We're just friends now." She sincerely did not want to bring up the fact that Bonnie was the one who messed up their past relationship, and all her recent tries on reviving their what they had was met by disdained scorn. "And it's not really the time to be talking about these."

The Princess was visibly disheartened, making a small part of Marceline cringed with regret on what she said earlier. " I understand, I thought we're...you know? On good terms again?"

"Of course, we're friends!"

"Friends, huh?"

"Yeah, but no tongue."

"Yeah ...whaaaat?"

Marceline laughed as Bonnie blushed her signature deep red. "Nevermind. Look, they're finished taking off their gems!"

They walked closer to the gathering of Princesses. A full minute passed until four of the gems on the ground rose on eye level, the fifth one that belonged to Bonnie followed suit. The gems hovered closer to the Enchiridion and snapped into their corresponding places, leaving one crevice empty.

"Look, girl. Your gem is trying to fit itself on the book!" Turtle Princess nudged LSP, who was busy on her phone.

"Oh my Glob! Even the book can't resist my powerful LUMPS!"

LSP's star-shaped gem suddenly hurtled back at its owner, smacking the lumpy princess in her head. "This is so insulting, I'm out of here!"

They watched as LSP flew away. Turtle Princess followed after her friend. Marceline noticed the frown on Bonnie. "It still lacked a single gem, Marceline."

The Princesses murmured among themselves, accusing each other of holding back their gems. Before a fight could break out, a voice rang from somewhere behind them. Marceline can recognize that voice anywhere.

"Hey, Princesses. Whatcha doing here in my turbobro's abode?"

"Go away, Ice King!" Slime Princess and Wildberry Princess both screamed at the Ice King. _Simon._

"C'mon now, I'm just passing through. Care to go with me and play with Gunter? We're having a movie marathon though, so he'll probably busy to-"

"NO!" The two princesses shouted firmly, a look of hurt painted across Ice King's face.

"Ice King!"

"Oh, hey there Marceline..."

"Me and Bubblegum will come over your place sometime soon and watch movies with you or whatever."

"Really? That would be so fantas-"

"Marceline, what are you doing? Don't get me involved in there!"

"Relax, Bonnie. I got this." She turned back again at the Ice King who was now flying with glee. " For just one condition, Ice King."

"What is it? C'mon don't leave me hanging here!" All the princesses looked at him incredulously. "Well, technically flying, but whatever. Spit it out, sister!"

Marceline hoped her hunch was right, if not...she did not want to know what would be Bonnie's reaction. "Hand over the gems on your crown."

"But I need these gems...I mean...without them I couldn't kidnap princesses, boss Gunter around and pick up chicks."

The Princesses looked incredulously at him again.

"Well, I mean _literally _pick up chicks."

"So, how about it Ice King?" Marceline crossed her fingers in anticipation.

"Okay then...my Crown says 'no' repeatedly but whatever." Ice King proceeded to pluck the three gems on his Crown, making him fall down hard on the ground. "Ouchies. My hot buns shouldn't be experiencing that kind of trauma, girls. I'm sorry you have to see that."

Marceline hovered closer to the fallen Ice King and took the gems. "That's a deal. After I'm done with here, we'll check up on you, okay?"

"Alright!"

Shooting one last smile at the King, she threw the gems near the book. The three objects hovered in midair, earning some response among the crowd, merged together to form one bigger red gem. A clearcut ruby. It circled on an axis then plunged down fast and hard on the book, an audible click was heard as it slammed down to its place. For a moment, everyone stood and watched with anticipation.

"Whatcha doing here anyways? Is this a slumber party?" Nobody bothered to answer the Ice King. "Wowzers!"

Marceline picked up the book and watched intently at the changes happening. The skull in its cover began to chant something incomprehensible and then exploded for some reason. She watched as the grapes wither and fall, and the dove flew away. Suddenly, the sword in the middle of the cover started to cut down around the vertical middle of the book.

"Princess Bubblegum, are you sure what we did was correct?" Hotdog Princess asked skeptically, probably worried about the book.

After the sword completely cuts the middle of the Enchiridion into a loop, a black substance oozed from the crevice, and turned the Enchiridion to a brown stone. Marceline dropped it like a hot coal, afraid the black ooze will spread to her.

"I remember this!"

"What, Bonnie?"

"Finn smashed the Enchiridion and opened the portal, that's what I remembered."

Marceline swung the Bass Axe with all her might and crushed the brown stone. "Like this?"

In a blink of an eye, a large hole in space that seemed to go somewhere appeared in the place where the shattered stone was earlier. The winds howled ferociously, making most of the princesses run in every direction. Marceline was about step in the portal when a hand stopped her.

~~o~~

Ice King doesn't know what to do. Without the constant whispers of the Crown, he felt more clueless than ever. He watched as a portal opened in front of him. Marceline was about to step into the portal but Princess Bubblegum stopped her. _Oh Princess, you look so lovely tonight. You look so much like Betty...wait. Who's Betty?_

"Marceline, I'm coming with you."

"Bonnie, it's too dangerous. I can't guarantee your safety."

"You need not to. I can handle my own."

"And here I thought I was the more stubborn between us two...Grrr. Fine."

Ice King gasped as she watched the Princess hugged Marceline from behind but the latter wrestled out of her embrace. "Hey, when did you became so clingy?"

"Look, let's go."

Marceline looked back at him then spoke softly he barely heard what she said. "Hey Simon, I promise you when we come back, we'll hang out together!"

Then they both stepped in to the portal, which promptly closed and left him alone in front of the Tree Fort.

_I'll gladly wait for you, Marcy._

~~o~~

I really intend this to be only one chapter, but I don't want to rush and cram so many things on one chapter. And I'm still stumped on how to make the three-way free-for-all work. That chapter only have its half written.

Ooobserver: I'm really glad you liked the idea of a three-way battle! It's kinda what I had in my mind ever since I read Miss Bonnibel's diary in the first Tales of the Alternate Universe, the cryptic passage about the brown-haired Mertens driving off the Rainicorns and setting out on his own. I thought what if he came across his brother? Boom.

I'm so excited for the announced new episodes of AT! Finally, Betty!

Read and Review dudes!


	11. Chapter 11

I do not own Adventure Time. Never have, never will. Also, I'm willing to believe that our universe is part of the Multiverse. Well...on with the show!

~~o~~

Chapter 10 - Blank Points Pt. 2

The moment they set foot on the portal, a blast of white light engulfed them both. Marceline shielded her eyes with her right hand and held Bonnie's hand on the other. She was very afraid that the Princess might wind up in some far-flung place so he continued to held on even though the white light already dissipated.

"Uh. Marceline? You're hurting me."

"Oh, sorry Bonnie!"

The candy monarch's attention was already on different matters but she muttered a quick reply. "It's fine. No need to fuss about it."

"Now, where are we?"

"Duh? Isn't it obvious? Where somewhere near this Time Room."

Marceline took a minute to assess their environment. They seemed to be standing on a rock formation somewhere in outer space, what with all the rocks and various debris floating in place and distant stars that dotted everywhere she looked. Well, that was what she thought. The debris seemed to float in place, but a blink later, they seemed to float away. She hefted her Bass Axe and played a tune. The sound reverberated, like it was supposed to, but stopped abruptly as if it met an invisible barrier. From what she knows, the outer space doesn't work that way.

"The curvature of time-space is rather erratic here." Bonnie looks like she was about to launch in one of her long-winded explanations. "And look at my watch."

"Let me guess, it's running backwards?"

"No, it's pink, ding-dong!" Bonnie glared at her as she broke into a laugh. She doesn't quite know if the Princess was serious or she was trying to crack a joke at her.

"C'mon, Bonnibel. We don't have all day."

"Pssh. We're not even sure if time has bearings here."

"Hush! Be calmed by my saliva." Marceline leaned and licked her left earlobe. She really digs this particular Jake's catchphrase.

"Marceline, that's to-"

"- distasteful. Yeah, right, don't be a hypocrite. C'mon, _wrap your legs around me _and-"

Bonnie grinned and became red in the face again. "Marceline? _Here?"_

"- I'll fly you through the gaps in the space rocks."

They stared at each other for a second. Then Marceline broke into a laugh that reverberated across the place and stopped abruptly. "Bonnie, what were you thinking? Oh my Glob, it's killing me...HAHAHA! You know what? You really got to move on. Man, the look on your face was priceless."

She immediately regretted her reaction as she saw the Princess' face. Bonnie looked really hurt. Marceline hovered then reached for Bonnie's hand and aided her in getting on her back. Sometimes, there are things better left unsaid. _I might have been too tactless. Wasn't I in her place years ago?_

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You're absolutely correct. I should really move on."

As a result, they spent the rest of the flight in complete silence. Marceline can't afford the upset the Princess now, seeing that everything is about to get crazy. She lazily flew over boring rock formations and space whatnots while Bonnie gingerly clung on her shoulders. On the verge of complaining, Marceline finally caught sight of something that broke the monotony of the place.

"Marceline! That thing obviously looks like the Time Room."

She sped up and flew closer, earning a complete and unobstructed view of the Time Room. It looked like a large red cube with various holes that probably served as entrances. It looked underwhelming, alright. Marceline expected something more grandiose for a place located in the center of the Multiverse.

"It looks...quaint."

"Quasi-corporeal."

"Quasi-what, Bonnie?"

"Quasi-corporeal. I heard Booko say that the Time Room is quasi-corporeal. It just meant we could never be sure what it really looked like."

Marceline thought that maybe Bonnie's correct. She craved for something red presently, and it so happens that the Time Room was red in color. That couldn't be a coincidence. They flew closer and landed on of the holes in its faces. Setting her passenger down, Marceline readjusted her grip on her axe.

"What the nuts is going in here?"

Hearing Bonnie's reaction, she followed her gaze and saw a rectangular room with pink walls, floor, and ceiling. It was big enough to probably contain her house. What really caught the vampire's attention was the group of beings submerged on what appeared to be a yellow jacuzzi. The only one she recognized was the Cosmic Owl.

Suddenly, one of the beings - huge two-dimensional white shadow of what appeared to be a human - stared and spoke with an accent unknown to her. "Hey, you there with the red axe. I thought you already decided on your wish? I can't rebuke a person's wish, okay?"

"She's not the same Marceline, Prismo. This one belongs to the universe much closer to the Pristine one." The Cosmic Owl sounded excited for some reason she can't tell yet.

Marceline was confused. So that white shadow guy is Prismo? She wondered if he could really grant wishes, seeing that he can't even tell the who's who of the Multiverse. She looked at Bonnie beside her, who looked so much disturbed by the scene. _I think I know what's eating her._

"Look, Prismo, dude. I don't really know you and I came here just to demand answers. Well, if you could really grant a wish, then I don't see what's wrong with that..."

Prismo looked at her thoughtfully, a smile on his face slowly showing. He was about to say something when the four-faced guy beside him spoke. "Maybe you should refrain from giving wishes for now."

"And why is that, Grod?"

_What the Nightosphere? Grod? That thing over there is Grod?_

The four-faced's head spun and showed a similar but different face and spoke with a different voice. "Because the Multiverse is in trouble, right? And if a new universe get created because of the wish, you'll just plunge it in to danger too. Kinda moot, right?"

"I see your point, Glob, but we can't just send these two away now, are we? And if her wish matched with an existing universe, I'll just transport her over there just like last time with the other Marceline."

"C'mon now Prismo - "

"STOP, YOU DUMMIES!"

Everyone stopped talking and looked at Bonnie, who was very silent up to now. She inhaled deeply and began to talk. "First, what you're saying about is impossible if I go by the Law of Physics and take into consideration the Quantum Suicide. Secondly, would you nutballs tell us what's happening first?"

"Huh. Another one of those know-it-all nerdy pink princesses. Why does every universe held at least one of you?" The guy who looked like a skeleton with elongated mouth and wore a simple gardener's outfit spoke for the first time. Marceline snickered at the being's response, earning a glare from Bonnie.

Prismo sighed for a long time, apparently tired of explaining things. "Girl, the Multiverse actually works much closer with the Copenhagen Interpretation. Secondly, why don't you two get down here so we could go to business?"

Bonnie just crossed her arms, apparently unsatisfied with Prismo's reply. Marceline doesn't really understand all their science junk that well, so she picked up Bonnie bridal-style and flew down near the beings. She noticed the numerous game boards that littered the floor near the jacuzzi, which made her smile. These dudes looked like they are beings of superpower and yet they amuse themselves with those things.

"Well, I guess it's time for us to go now, Pris. I'll never stand in the same room with that pinky over there."

"What, Death? Don't go. You've just arrived, we haven't even watched one of my new favorite universe yet!"

Marceline looked at the skeletal guy in awe. _This dude is Death? Wow._

"I'll stop by next time, Pris." With that, Death disappeared in a shower of what appeared to be white cubes that disappeared as fast as they came.

"Yeah, us too Prismo, we couldn't really leave Mars for too long. That world is still on its knees after _that _incident."

"Okay, Glob, I understand."

Marceline watched in amazement as the being called Glob burst upward in a furious red aura and punched a hole in the ceiling, which disappeared instantly as she blinked. She never knew gods are so casual like this. Maybe, a Vampire Queen can hang out with them some time?

"Hey, Cosmic Owl where are you going?"

"I'll just go over my place, I forgot to bring my..." What the Cosmic Owl forgot was never heard because he was already outside the Time Room.

"Wow. I'm just alone here again all of a sudden."

Bonnie cleared her throat loudly and started to tap her foot impatiently. Marceline was having second thoughts in bringing the Princess with her by that time. She can be so annoying at times with her attitude that she failed to change throughout the years; she hates it when things go against what she firmly believed.

"Alright, alright, girl! Stop doing that and have a seat."

Suddenly, a white sofa appeared behind them and rushed forward, forcing them to sit on it. Marceline noticed that the sofa appeared to be a love seat, much to their horror. Both of them tried to create a space between them without much success.

"What? I thought the two of you are together? What's wrong?"

"Well, Prismo, we're not." Marceline knew this guy didn't want to provoke them but he got to have his facts straight.

"Oh, my bad. I just kinda mix up the universes sometimes, and most of them have you as couples."

Bonnie snapped in annoyance again. "Cut the graph, and start talking!"

"What do you even want to know? I'm not all knowing like the Cosmic Owl, you know."

Marceline stopped and thought for a moment. Temporarily forgetting what she came for because of those awesome dudes she met earlier. Before she could answer Prismo's question, Bonnie cut her off.

"Where's Finn and Jake?"

"Oh that...hehe." Prismo looked nervous all of a sudden. What happened? "Let me ask you first a question. How well do you know this place and the Multiverse?"

The candy monarch was taken aback by the query, but immediately launched into a series of explanations. "From what Booko said, the Multiverse is comprise of numerous universe in which some are linked either temporarily or permanently, and at the center of the Multiverse is a dimension called the Time Room , believed to be the quasi-corporeal dwelling place of the almighty Prismo . The Time Room is the single dimension that exists outside of time. The Time Room produces time waves that are experienced by other dimensions."

"What the hey, Bonnibel Bubblegum?! You actually understood and memorized Booko's speed-talked babble? That is insane! I only understood the part where he slowed down a bit..."

"His speed-talk was actually comprehensible, c'mon..."

"Excellent, Princess. So you do know that you're currently outside your own universe, correct?"

Both of them nodded.

"You see, whenever a dire decision was made, a separate universe will be created for that. Both universe will exist, but will never meet eye to eye with each other normally.

Marceline furrowed her brows. "What kind of decisions, Prismo?"

"Everything that will have a great impact on the outcome, like a prominent leader or hero dying, wars, and even marriages of certain people influential enough. Even something as finding a cursed crown, for that matter. Also, wishes granted by me."

Prismo stared at them as they absorbed the information. Bonnie spoke calmly for the first time since coming into the Time Room. "You seem to be implying something."

"Here, have a Slurpy." Suddenly, two cups of some beverage appeared on their armrest, one for each of them. Marceline looked at hers and saw that the so called Slurpy was a drink filled with crushed ice and some flavoring. Hers was a deep red.

"Thanks."

"When Finn and Jake came through here for the first time, they were just in time to witness the Lich make its wish. Its wish was to wipe all of existence, which I did."

"You, WHAT?!" Both of them exclaimed in shock.

"It just meant that the Lich was sent to a reality where nothing exists, even the Enchiridion. What it hoped to achieve by that is beyond me. Personified Nuclear bombs are really hard to get most of the time."

They visibly relaxed. Bonnie looked troubled though. "I was there when Finn and Jake entered the portal, but they really never told me what happened when they got back mere seconds later."

"I granted them a wish each. Finn, thinking the Lich just actually destroyed his universe, wished that the Lich never even existed. I transported him to a universe where the Lich never did exist, but the problem was...look, let's just watch it on my TV Wall."

Suddenly, the wall to their left turned into a giant TV screen. Their love seat rotated to face the giant monitor. "Prismo, you're instantly on my Top Three spot for my Cool Dudes list."

"Oh, stop it you. Hehe. Look, this TV can show various events from every universe, either it happened already or is currently happening. It can't see into the future though, you see."

"Of course, that is impossible."

"Bonnie, how could you explain Cosmic Owl then?"

"Cut it out girls, look!"

The TV showed what seemed to be a different looking Finn talking with an old lady inside a cave.

~~o~~

From what Marceline understood in the clips they watched, Finn's wish landed him in a world where humans still lived normally. The war ended without the bomb going off, but instead got stopped by Simon with his mastery of ice. It killed him though because the bomb crushed him in its weight. She watched as her alternate self get old slowly beside the corpse of Simon.

_I never became a vampire in that universe, huh. I wonder what is it like to get old while being solitary in a cave._

1000 years passed and the wishworld Finn, having financial troubles with his family, came across the Crown and stole it. Apparently, Junktown, the town where he lives, gets aggravated by the Destiny Gang frequently. In ensuing chaos, Finn's parents and sibling was trapped inside their burning house.

Marceline gasped in surprise as she watched Finn put the crown in his head to save his family and instantly made him crazy. He did defeated the Destiny Gang, but in doing so, he accidentally caused the nuclear weapon to go off, recreating the apocalypse and turning the normal dog, Jake, into the Lich anyways.

"That is where everything went nuts, girls. Your universe's Jake wished to changed the Lich's wish into wishing him and Finn to go back to Ooo, which I did."

"Then that means we are currently living in Jake's wishworld, right?" Bonnie looked fearful.

"That's right, Princess. With that wish, numerous paths were born. The Ice Prince here suffered for hundreds of years, while your Finn got back home."

"Then, everything's swell then?" Marceline asked hopefully. Then she realized something missing. "Wait, what happened to the Lich who wished for Finn and Jake to get back home? Don't tell me it's around here lurking somewhere?"

"Relax, I sent that Lich to the Crystal Citadel, the Multiverse's eternal prison for the worst beings that existed. Well, there was an exception there...but he kinda volunteered to remain in that prison...Wait, I'm babbling around now, am I?" Prismo laughed nervously, apparently he just said something important. Like a secret. Marceline ignored the last bit of his speech though.

"Then, I'm right. Everything's swell then."

"No. There is one more story behind this alternate universe, one that I did not chose to show to Jake during his first visit with his brother. I kinda regret that now." Prismo closed his eyes momentarily.

Bonnie looked impatient. She too was becoming impatient like Marceline. If what they saw earlier in Booko's map of the Multiverse, Finn and Jake are currently in trouble. She took a few seconds to rephrase what she wanted to say to Prismo. "Hey, dude, these alternate universe events are interesting and all, but we really don't have time to..."

"But you do have time. Look, you're in the Time Room. Time doesn't really work the way you are used to."

"Oh."

"Now let me tell you a beautiful tale involving a certain farmboy and a firefly..."

Bonnie smirked. "You could just let us watch it on your TV Wall."

Prismo looked at the Princess then at his TV Wall, and then back to Bonnie. "Oh, you're right."

~~o~~

Hey you reader. I insist you search Crystal Citadel in Adventure Time Wiki. You'll be glad you did.

So much for a supposed three-part filler episode. A recap of sort, but I don't really know how to do a recap of the events of Tales of the Alternate Universe. I don't even know if I had to, but when I try to read this story while imagining I did not read the 'parent' stories, I find it kinda hard to follow. Wish people would say what they think.

Ooobserver: Hey, man. Can I ask you a favor? Remember the 'sword from Citadel of Truth' Choose Goose offered to Finn? I'm planning something quite plot-relevant with that. Nothing really big. I was hoping you'll let me continue referring to your Citadel more. And again, thanks for all the really awesome reviews and feedbacks!

Hey, I just got my 1000th view! Hurray! Hope I can upload the big fight right now instead of this crappy chapter, but I can't...


	12. Chapter 12

I do not own Adventure Time.

~~o~~

Chapter 11 - Blank Points Pt. 3

Keeoth was having a real trouble. He had flew for hours on end, then when his wings got tired, Keeoth ran for a few more hours. With all his efforts, the Greater Demon, Abaddon still chased him.

"C'mon dude! It's just few drops of blood! I just need some to make a hat! Stop chasing me!"

The demon just stared at him, facial features unchanging, and continued to ran after him. Trails of Abaddon's feathers lay on the crystal flooring, with no wind to blow them away. This particular demon scared Keeoth to a certain degree more than the demons in Nightosphere. Abaddon looked like a cross between a stuffed turkey and a headless knight.

Keeoth finally saw the person he was hoping to meet, one of the non-demon and the only non-evil being inside the Crystal Citadel. The muscled young human looked really tough, standing around six feet in height. Keeoth thought that was obvious. For fifteen Ooo years, he only experienced 'the Reset' twice. _This human fought day and night for the past fifteen years and only died twice._

"Hey, Langhorn! C'mon Samuel, help me man!"

The human insist they call him by his name Samuel but during his stay inside the prison, he acquired the title of 'the Langhorn'. Samuel the Langhorn, the fierce human who languidly snapped the horns of the demons he defeated like it was just picking daisies in the park.

Samuel looked at his direction, the jingling of his chainmail made of demon horns echoing across the nothingness. "Why would I even do that? Demon, you're a demon. If anything I should add your horn to my collection too."

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Keeoth evaded a petrifying beam from Abaddon as they ran in circle around Samuel. "I have knowledge of the Lich's location!"

"Very well, Keeoth."

Samuel drew his blade from its scabbard. It looked pitiful in Keeoth's eyes, being an accomplished blacksmith himself. Samuel's sword was marred by numerous battle-scars and chips. It was never an impressive sword to begin with and the damages only improved its general ugliness.

_But this is Samuel the Langhorn._

The human pulled down the hood of his off-white cloak, exposing his equally scarred face and shoulder length blonde hair. Samuel's cerulean eyes locked on his prey and threw his sword. The Abaddon dropped down, the sword sticking up from the demon's chest.

"Fruitless! This demon doesn't even have a horn..."

"What's with your fetish for demon horns, anyway?"

Samuel pulled his sword, shook off the demon blood, and slid it inside the tattered scabbard. He then proceeded to stroke his moustache. Keeoth was certainly impressed by the human. It would take more days or weeks for Abaddon to be Reset and pester him again. That is how the Crystal Citadel works. Easy to get into, impossible to get out; not even by dying.

"Just tell me where I can find the Lich."

Keeoth gazed through the dark, cave-like crystal citadel. He can not see the other side of the prison, for it was theorized to go on and on forever. It should have been called Endless and Timeless Crystal Cave instead.

"The Abaddon left a trail of feathers, it should lead to the Lich's whereabouts."

"What were you even doing with his followers anyway?" The young man shot Keeoth a piercing look.

Suddenly, Abaddon's corpse dissipated into a shower of flowing embers that was carried by the non-existent wind to some place only Glob knows where. It took him a few seconds to reply, being both scared of his 'friend' and amazed by the light show. "I was just snooping around. Haven't you noticed?"

"Noticed what?"

"The Citadel gets new prisoners now and then, and since no one can really _die _in here, it should be normal that the number of demons and other fiends should rise, right?"

Samuel looked lost in thought for a moment. "Yeah, now that you pointed it out, there are less demons seeking a fight with me."

He knew Samuel wouldn't really kill him, but Keeoth really wanted to prolong the conversation so he could properly bargain with his life just in case he was serious with his threat earlier. "And it so happens that that incident started on the day the Lich set foot here in this prison."

"C'mon then. Let's follow the feathers. I wanted to challenge the Lich anyway."

Now that Samuel pointed it out, the Lich never did messed with the two of them and preferred to lurk in the shadows. The second time he came across the followers, they were gaining in number. Something was happening behind the lines, and Keeoth was certain he doesn't want to be part of it. _Where can I even hide in this place though? You can see the flat expanse of crystal floor, the domed crystal ceiling, but no walls. Just perpetual bleakness. You can only see a few feet from you before the darkness swallows the view. There wasn't even light source to begin with. One nosy demon might just walk over him accidentally and eventually._

Crystal Citadel is one weird prison. They don't get hungry, cold, hot, old or anything. They just exist. Passive existence was never an option for wrongdoers, so sometimes riots break the monotony. Keeoth participated once and vowed never to join again.

"How much farther, Keeoth? I swear if you're pulling my leg, I'll reap every tendons in your body."

"I dunno, Sammy. I was running and flying for hours but seeing that time doesn't hold meaning here, it could have been just a few minutes."

Samuel pointed somewhere up ahead. "Looks like your estimate was right."

A few feet from them, a gathering of probably every prisoner the Citadel held stood around the tall figure of the Lich. It seemed like a meeting of utmost importance officiated by the being. Heads, tendrils, tongues, and fingers nodded in what seemed to be agreement on what the Lich was babbling about. Keeoth heard a few snippets of the Lich's monologue.

"...is time to take up arms against a common enemy. This arrogant swordsman had humiliated all of you for a long time now -"

"Samuel, they seemed to be talking about you!"

"Thanks for stating the obvious, Captain Obvious."

Keeoth let out a groan. "Why are you so casual about this?"

"I can take them on. Besides if I die, I only..."

Keeoth looked at the human tauntingly. "Now, you just remembered. The folks you defeated never came back, Sammy."

The human was unfazed by that though. "That just makes this more interesting then."

_I can't believe it. What is wrong with you? You don't even seem to belong here!_

"...that fool, Samuel the Langhorn must be stopped! And I have the way to extinguish his life permanently. All you have to do is kill him one more time!"

To Keeoth's horror, the Lich looked at them directly. His frightening half-skin, half-skeletal face shone with emerald fire coming from his left eye. Keeoth could feel the blood drain from his face. This would not be the first time he will die, and surely he hoped this wouldn't be the last. _Well, at least you'll get away from this place._

"...and after we butcher that human, I will rip open a passage out of this Crystal Citadel. For the Line That Divides was never a restraint and never was a partition, it is the Pristine Corridor."

"Pssh, looks like this Lich was promising a non-existent escape route huh?" Samuel looked at him directly. "How good are you in a fight?"

"I'm practically useless."

"Then stay close to me and try not to get in the way of my blade."

"No. I've got a plan."

Keeoth saw the look of terror in Samuel's eyes as he sucked out all but the last ounce of blood in his own body to fashion a crimson kite shield for the swordsman. Keeoth handed it to Samuel before dropping to the floor weakly. "Use it well, my friend. If I don't come back, try not to miss me. Hehe."

"You fool...go to sleep then, Keeoth. May Fate be kinder to you in the next cycle."

The last thing Keeoth saw was the advancing army of the Multiverse worst nightmares as they threaten to overwhelm the lone standing human. Then everything went black.

~~o~~

"I don't get it Prismo. Simon was able to hold back the influence of the Crown for years. Why did the alternate Finn went mad instantly?"

"Because he willingly accepted the Crown to save his family, unlike Simon who despised the object."

Bonnie, who was secretly a sucker for romantic things, interjected. "It is a shame. That blingwad could have save that girl, Flanna, instead of letting her die of hypothermia."

Marceline sure thought that Finn Mertens and Flanna Hacksworth's side of tale was truly beautiful and tragic. Even when the moment the alternate Marceline made a wish to give the couple a better ending (where Finn the humble farmboy, married the hotshot firefly, Flanna and had a kid) the tragic universe still existed.

She grimaced at the thought of Ice Prince spending hundreds of years to revive the girl she loved so much, without even remembering her name, but only to fail again. Flanna was revived into an exact image of Flame Princess; frost and fire, together they can still cause the end of the world like FP and Finn. _I wonder what would be Ice Prince reaction if he ever saw his another alternate self having a better life with Flanna?_

"What happened to the Jake-Lich anyway after the Prince trapped it into a hole in the earth?"

"Don't worry, Princess. It's still in there but for some strange reason, it is becoming weaker and weaker."

The Vampire Queen thought for a while. "What if I just wished everything to be alright?"

Prismo chortled annoyingly. "Girl, that would have just transported you in a universe where everything is okay, but eventually, Ice Prince's budding time-space manipulation will spread its influence throughout the Multiverse. In Glob's words, a moot point."

Bonnie interjected again. "Well, it might be better than what you tasked Finn and Jake to do."

Marceline agreed silently. Prismo asked the brothers to incapacitate the Ice Prince, halt him from accepting the new powers that was arising from within him, and keep the Flame Princess safe. All of those based on Cosmic Owl's cryptic prophecy. In a sense, they're going against Fate.

"Your plan? I can't see how will it work out. How could the two do those feats is way beyond me." Marceline opted to tell what were her thoughts about the matter. "Why can't we just kill the Prince and be done with it?

"That would just result in another universe being born, Queenie, one where the Prince still lives."

"Ugh, Bonnie..my head hurts. C'mon give me a massage."

The Princess just scoffed at her, apparently immune now from her teasing. Bonnie then spoke to Prismo as she lazily flicked through the TV Wall with the remote. "But why can't you let us see what's happening with the two?"

"You'll just flip over into hysterics if you do, c'mon."

The TV Wall now showed some person wearing a suit of armor inside of what seemed to be a fortress. The knight nervously looked around and slid inside his scabbard a long sword with an infinity symbol in its hilt. The blade radiates with bluish aura that seemed to reach for the person holding it.

"Wagglesags, that's boring! Why can't you just send us to Finn and Jake's whereabouts to help them?!"

"You see Princess, sending over those two made me broke hundreds of rules. I'm not inclined to break them again. Glob came earlier to warn me about my meddling." Prismo looked away uncomfortably. "He thinks I'm just favoring one universe over the others."

"Look, Prismo, we promise you we won't go ballistic. No matter what we see in the alternate universe. Just let us watch over the two weenies, please! Right, Bonnie?"

Marceline looked at Bonnie who was glued to the TV Wall again, apparently enticed by what it currently shows. An older and more mature looking Finn and Flame Princess were kissing indiscriminately somewhere in the Fire Kingdom, unheeding to other people. Pink flames enveloped them in an infinity sign. The Vampire Queen admitted the scene was kinda romantic, noting the relative attractiveness of both the couple. Finn certainly looked...handsome.

Prismo noticed her reaction and smirked. "I think I know what's happening here."

"Hey, Bonnie! Cut it out!" She snatched the remote and switched to a random universe. "Did you even heard what I said?"

"Yeah, and I agreed. You're just too busy looking at Finn too to notice my response."

Marceline shot him an annoyed look. "So how about it Prismo? Deal?"

"...Alright. I kinda crave some company anyway."

The remote disappeared from her hand and rematerialize near Prismo. He pushed a button and the TV Wall flickered for a moment, like a channel with bad reception, before clearing up.

The scene instantly made them tensed.

"Uh-uh. You kinda promised not to be hysterical."

~~o~~

The next chapter was already finished. It just need some more improvement. I fear my chapters are becoming inconsistent in terms of quality.

Ooobserver: Thanks, man! Have a digital cookie.

Guest: I dunno, dude. Unless an administrator or many people get offended, I'm inclined not to change the rating. Thanks for the review anyway.

The concept of Crystal Citadel is really interesting. I wonder why the creators never pushed through with their idea about it?


	13. Chapter 13

I do not own Adventure Time. And I really need help in incorporating Sir Rattleballs in this story because HE IS SO AWWWESOME!

I do not own the song that was used for the title of this chapter, it belongs to Underoath. Glob, I miss them.

~~o~~

Chapter 12 - A Boy Brushed Red Living in Black and White

"Jake! Protect Flame Princess!"

"Alright, Finn! Be careful!"

"I will!"

Finn readied Scarlet, well, the Imatari Scarlet in his hands. He reacted in time to deflect an ice projectile homing at him, slicing it in two. He looked up at the Ice Prince and to his surprise, his foe now held the Demon Blood Sword in his golden mechanical hand. _How the Glob that dude got his mitts on Dad's sword?_

"Finn! Is that Dad's sword?"

"I think -"

Before he could finish his speech, Finn sensed an attack coming from his left. He completely forgot about the hooded boy, which caused him a long rip on his blue shirt. The attack did not harm him though.

"I said stand down!" The boy growled at him, a fierce look in his eyes. Then he stared at the Ice Prince, who was now swooping down on them. " You too!"

"How dare you tell me what to do, YOU WORM!"

A large ice blast forced Finn to jump away and nearly lost his footing near the edge of the roof. He stole a glance at the hooded boy, who managed to roll away in time. Pacing himself, Finn instantly recognized the gravity of the situation. This was no play fight. They could all die.

"Finn, look out!"

He barely deflected Ice Prince's attack, nearly making him lose his grip on the Imatari Scarlet. He tensed. The short design of the golden blade was not really suitable to fight against someone wielding the Demon Blood Sword. Then, there is the hooded boy, who kept joining the fray with his axe.

"C'mon, man! What the math are you doing? We got no beef with you!" Finn heard his brother yell at the hooded boy, finally deciding to participate at the fight.

"Sorry, dog! Orders are orders!"

So this was the human the candy people were talking about? He looked like someone who went through a lot. Finn found it hard to focus what with the flurry of activity around him, and trying to maintain space between the Ice Prince and Flame Princess, who was now cowering in a corner.

Letting out a battle cry, Finn changed the Imatari into the Grass Sword. It instantly coiled into his right hand, which he quickly extended as he rushed towards the Ice Prince. Finn flicked the blade and it rotated like a helicopter's rotor.

"You're done, Ice Dude!"

A cold blast of wind caught him off guard that disrupted the Grass Sword's rotation, and sent him back, nearly crashing with Flame Princess. Things were not really going well for him and Jake, who was now busy defending himself from the hooded boy. Finn wondered what else his new sword can do. He imagined a small round shield, which came into reality in time to defend from an ice barrage.

"Dang it, mortal! Stop hiding behind that trash bin cover, fool!"

Finn opened his eyes and looked at what he was holding. "Oh my Glob, cram it to the butternuts!"

It was a trash bin cover, alright. He quickly changed it to the Root Sword, the first weapon that crossed his mind, and deflected the ice shards. Jake was correct, his imagination sucked. Now he face an all powerful Prince, very much unlike Ice King, who was also skilled in melee combat, his worries only intensified. This was the first time Finn felt truly scared with his foe, something about this dude was so wrong. _I can't back down now! I can't just leave FP!_

"Be quiet, Flanna! I can defeat this mongrel! Begone!"

_Dude's talking with himself. Right...? _"Hey, pi-face! Over here!"

Finn struck down hard with his Imatari, only for his attack to be negated by a well-timed block by the Ice Prince. He could hear Flame Princess shouting 'stop' over and over in between her sobs. The difference between their fighting skills should be obvious by now. Sir Rattleballs was correct, his sword skills are pitiful.

_Why the heck everybody around me is always correct?_

"You can never hope to match a thousand years of knowledge, mortal!"

Finn watched in horror as the Demon Blood Sword in his enemy's hand became enveloped in ice, and to his further fear, the freezing carried on with his Imatari. He tried pulling away, but the blades remain intact. Finn panicked. In mere seconds, almost half of his body was now encased in hard ice. The Prince smiled menacingly at him, eyeing Flame Princess with concern much to his confusion.

"Remember this mortal, resistance is futile!"

The Prince kicked him hard in his guts, sending him hurtling backwards on the hard surface of the roof. He heard Flame Princess scream, making Finn wonder why she wasn't attacking the Prince. She was definitely different from the FP she knew. He spat a chunk of ice and looked down at his body. Most ice was shattered except those that remained intact in his right foot. Finn stood up anyway and assumed an offensive stance.

"You're going to fight me with that?"

Finn followed his gaze and was shocked to find his Root Sword snapped in two, the other half shattered to pieces along with the ice. He was clearly doing wrong with his imagination, Finn realized. He thought the Root Sword was fragile, so the Imatari became fragile. He shouted in frustration and changed it to the Demon Blood Sword. The transformation took a longer time, the sword appeared to be struggling to replace the lost mass and to match the length of the crimson weapon.

"I don't know how you got Dad's sword but let's see who can wield it better! Come at me bro! Give it to me!"

His taunt enraged the crazy royalty, making him hover at high speeds toward Finn. Both crimson swords met with a tremendous shockwave, sending the two combatants sprawling on the roof. They both quickly recovered and proceeded to swipe and slice each other, to no avail. Finn noticed the predictable patterns on Prince's attacks and used those as an advantage.

"I hate predictable people!"

Making a large swing, he caught the Ice Prince directly on his mechanical arm. The golden plating seemed to react to the attack, vibrating weakly and rebounding his own attack back at him. Finn staggered back and barely parried a well-placed swing from Ice Prince.

"Jake! How are you holding up?"

"I'm alright - Dang it, not THERE! - just minor cuts! Be focused - Oh my Glob! - I got this!"

He watched as Jake threw a one-two punch at the hooded boy. He evaded the first blow gracefully, but not the second one, which sent him plummeting to the ground. Finn watched in utter confusion and fear as the boy flew in an arc downwards the city below.

"Jake, save him! We can't let innocent peeps die!"

His brother complied and dived after the falling human. Finn wasn't sure then what happened to the two, but he trusted Jake more than anyone else. They can't just let anyone die. That was just not in their alignment. Turning back his attention to his enemy, he backed away some more. Assuming a low defensive stance, he placed his body directly in front of Flame Princess.

"If you want her, you'll have to go through me!"

~~o~~

_Magnificent. That boy really knows how to fly...and to die an awesome death!_

"Flanna, for the umpteenth time, just shut up!"

He can't concentrate. Ice Prince can't Globbing concentrate. Flanna in his mind, Flame Princess in his eyes on the physical world, and a boy with similar bearhat fighting him blur together. Suffice to say that he was getting really annoyed. The dark skies intensified, making him realize that Flanna was controlling some of his powers.

_I'm not! I swear!_

"You can't fool me!"

_Look, can't you see? Those two lousy boys are in cohorts with that Princess Bubblegum to lock away Flame Princess from you! _

Ice Prince parried an attack with his frozen demon sword and struck upwards, nearly cleaving his opponents lips. The mortal's unpredictable and wild fighting style was really getting in his nerves. It was like dancing with an inexperienced partner, you kept stepping on each others feet. Literally. The boy couldn't have been doing that on purpose, he thought.

"Behold my Ice Lightning!"

The foolish mortal just mocked him as he evaded all the lightning strikes. "Dude, I already saw a friend do that! He's doing it better even!"

_Tap into my reserve, my Prince. Just a little! I can't rebound every attacks all day._

Seriously contemplating the offer, he flew upward and sent a barrage of sharpened ice blocks downwards. He stopped immediately as one of the icicle spires nearly impaled his Princess. He just can't afford to lose his control again, and this pesky boy doesn't make things easier for him.

"Why don't you just roll over and die, mortal? I'll fight 'til this little war is over!"

"Face it, man! No Princess will ever love you because you're ugly inside and out! Certainly not Flame Princess!"

Something in himself snapped, he closed his eyes and saw Flanna. Her warm hands already cupping his face to make him relax. The Ice Prince looked directly at her green eyes, a knowing look in his face. The anger that flared inside him fueled his desire to use the ominous power Flanna was offering to him.

_Are you ready, Mertens?_

"Yes!"

_Wait! I need you to accept every ounce of my power! Why resist? Why?! You stupi-_

He opened his eyes. Everything seemed clearer. He could see every detail and process every information he saw. He could see every cracks on the pink roof, every jagged spaces in the boy's ripped shirt and every fire pattern Flame Princess' hair makes. He also felt lighter and stronger.

_Sharpened senses, Mertens. Now finish that puny boy and get my body back!_

"You know it, Hacksworth!"

"Whoa dude! What happened to you? Your right eye is burning with green fire! Dude, put it out!"

"Shut your trap, weakling! Begone from this world!"

He raised the Demon Blood Sword and covered it in ice. The ice suddenly burned with green flames that crackled loudly, bathing the immediate area with green hue despite of the sunlight. He laughed at the boy's confused reaction, apparently not knowing his end was near. The Ice Prince crashed back at the roof, displacing a lot of destroyed candy pieces that comprised the said structure.

"Hand over my Princess or you will answer to the secrets of ice so cold it burns!"

Something unusual happened. Countless circular rifts materialized everywhere around them. The Ice Prince marveled at the portals that probably lead to different dimensions, possibly teeming with various things he can only imagine. One of the rifts showed a glorious and captivating corridor that seemed to lead to numerous doors. It was interesting for sure, but it was not he needed. Ice Prince entered the rift closes to him and emerged directly in front of his adversary. Time seemed to have slowed down marginally.

His opponent visibly tensed, much to his enjoyment. "I said you'll have to go through me!"

"You'd rather get run through by my blade than to surrender?"

_What are you doing? I said finish the boy! Wipe him from existence!_

The Ice Prince did not answered, but instead made snow fall freely from the sky. Anyone who doesn't know better would think winter came early. The wind howled as cold winds whipped from every direction, making his blue cloak dance with it. For a second or two, the only sounds that can be heard are the howling winds, the flapping of his cloak, the crackle of burning ice, and Flame Princess' sobs.

_You just can't let Miss Crybaby over there see bloodshed, right? _

He nodded.

_Then good luck surviving this without my help!_

Suddenly, the winds stopped, the sky brightened a bit, and the rifts closed and disappeared with a shudder. He can no longer feel the sharpened senses. Ice Prince was thoroughly confused. He tried reaching to Flanna but go no response. He panicked. He never really liked being alone, contrary to popular and stupid opinion.

Ice Prince contemplated on asking the jewels from his then-crown that resided in the pocket of his robes. He may become a lot crazier again but at least the entity inside always agreed with him, unlike Flanna. Ice Prince stared at his golden mechanical arm There are three slots along the length of his golden biceps, each housing emeralds pulsing with green fire. _Flanna._

"What now?"

"I said it twice before, and I'll say it again. YOU'LL HAVE TO GO THROUGH ME, you blowhole!"

"I'm not talking to you!"

"You're one crazy guy, you know that? Way crazier than Ice King... C'mon, fight me!"

"So be it!"

He summoned an ice sword on his left hand that was physically identical to the one in his right. Dual-wielding, a style Ice Prince never got to try before. His unstable mind made it hard for him to wield both longswords. His inexperience with the style only hampered his combat so he threw the sword at his enemy, who sliced it easily with his peculiar weapon. It now resembled the grass-like blade he used earlier, but colored red instead of green. It looked pitiful, like an incomplete weapon.

"Stop moving so much!"

"I'm not running away, Princey!"

Growling in annoyance, Ice Prince summoned a shield instead and used it as a battering ram to smash the boy hard. He quickly followed up the attack with a well-timed swipe, gashing his opponents cheek at last. He could feel the tide of battle slowly going to his favor, much to his elation. The two bearhat boys stared down at each other. This fight have gone for so long now. It has to end, and soon.

"Dance with me some more, insignificant clout!"

~~o~~

Sawyer was winded, the dog's attack left him out of breath as he fall down fast to the ground. What a pity, he thought. He just had a new lease in life, only to fall to his death. The rush of wind beneath his ear sounded like Death coming down on him to take his soul. _Fate just wouldn't let me live in peace, so it decided to kill me instead. Nice job, Fate._

"Grab my hand, dude!"

He opened his eyes and caught sight of the dog reaching for him. Sawyer wasted no time in reaching the elongated hand and in an instant, the dog enveloped himself on his body as they hit the ground. A large crashing sound erupted somewhere from his back. People shouted around them in confusion.

"Oh snap, that's my buns! Oh my Glob, wood splinters!"

The dog apparently turned himself into a sphere to break their fall. He tried standing up but hit an exposed wooden pole instead. Sawyer felt dizzy. He looked around and was amazed to see more candy people running around. He seemed to be in some kind of a marketplace.

"Why did you saved me?"

"Man, letting innocent people die is totes lame! You're just doing your job. Maybe a bit too much though."

"...Thank you, whatever."

"Hehe, you're welcome...what's your name kid?"

He hesitated. Princess Bubblegum never explicitly stated that he cannot say his name but it still felt betrayal on her part. In the end, common decency won over him. _Just this time, though. I have to please m'lady._

"Sawyer. You can call me Sawyer." He petted the bipedal dog's head and ruffled his golden fur. "What's your name, dog?"

"Hey, don't call me dog! My name is Jake. Pleased to meet yah!" Jake paused for a while and looked down. "Wish we could meet on better times, you seemed like a nice kid."

"Yeah...but I still need to apprehend you. Sorry, orders are orders."

"WELL, in that case, you have to catch me first!" Jake stretched out of his reach and climbed back at the tower towards the roof. "See yah later, Sawyer! Wow, that actually sound good together..."

Sawyer let the dog slid this time. He saved his life anyway, so at least this time they would be even. Now he wondered how he could get back up the roof and get the crazy dude and the other boy. Deep in his thoughts he failed to notice something squirming beneath his feet.

"If you're done _contemplating_, can you please look where you are _standing?_ "

Sawyer looked down and was shocked to see that he was standing on a goose dressed in some funny clothing he recognized as something old Choose Bruce would wear. He immediately stepped away and hurriedly apologized. _God, I don't have time for this._

"Can you see the damage you did to my _stall? _This would certainly be my _downfall! _"

"Look, I'm really sorry! But I have to go!" A pain shot from his chest, probably because of the punch Jake gave him earlier.

Sawyer contemplated hitting the goose to knock him out but decided to hold back his fists. Princess would surely be disappointed at him if he hurt any of his citizens. He have to bargain with this pompous duck, goose, whatever.

"You can't get away from _here, _unless you buy some _gear. _"

He spotted his fallen axe, its blade buried deep into the pavement that seemed to be made of candy. Sawyer tried pulling it free but the handle came off, much to his horror. Earlier, he was just far from the action, now he was also weaponless.

"Alright, I'll take those swords in the back."

"The Flamberge doesn't come for _free, _even the Truthsayer has a _fee!"_

The goose looked at him impatiently, apparently believing he could not afford the two swords. "Yeah, whatever. Charge it to Princess Bubblegum or something."

Sawyer apparently said the right thing because at that moment, the goose eagerly handed him the first the sword with orange blade and strange markings on it. Upon gripping the hilt, the blade burned with fire instantly and made him jump in surprise. _Flamberge. _That was absurd. The goose then handed him the other sword which has a cross guard that resembles the infinity symbol. Blue smoke or something gaseous leaked from it and seemed to reach for him. _Truthsayer._

"Now you must make _haste, _before all comes to _waste! _I hope you won't _mind, _I have a Princess to _find."_

The goose pointed to something above him before going away. He followed the direction and saw Jake shaped like a kite gliding down at high speeds, his friends on tow, with the ice dude gaining fast on them. He broke into a run through the gathering crowd, ignoring their cheers for him. Apparently, these candy people already know many things about him before he even woke up from his sleep.

"Please, let me through!"

His request was immediately granted as the bystanders gave way for him. One guy that looked like a root beer in a glass caught up to him on a horse that seemed to be made of jelly.

The root beer dude hopped of the horse and spoke with a commanding tone. "Princess Bubblegum told me to lend this steed for your perusal, Human. Take it!"

Sawyer quickly climbed on the pink horse and slid his swords inside the saddlebags. He quickly got comfortable with the horse. Deciding that it isn't much different from riding a mule or donkey, he sped through the streets and tried to locate his targets. Within minutes, he caught sight of the boy wielding the shape-shifting sword and the blue clad ice dude exchanging blows with each other. Both seemed a bit tired enough, much to his relief. Sawyer also noticed the two were wearing the same strange headgear that seemed familiar to him. Are they related somehow?

"I can do this. I can fight these powerful guys." _Is it really worth, though? I barely know Bonnie so why am I doing these for her? ...Because the orders are clear. Bring back the Princess of Flames, catch the intruders, and drive away the Ice Prince._

"I am the hand of madness! I am the Ice Prince! A puny mortal like you can never even hope to defeat me!" The icy guy seemed really pissed off.

"Well...I'm Finn the Human!"

_Human? I thought I was the last human alive? Finn...Finn...the name kinda rings a bell._

At that moment, he can't decide when to join the fray. The two troublemakers seemed to move so quick and sure. The only style of fighting he knows is his messy and unsure methods. He won't last very long against these two swordsmen. Sawyer took out the two swords and held the Flamberge with his left hand, while the Truthsayer on the other and jumped down the pavement.

_Come what may._

Sawyer ran towards the two as silently as he could and dive rolled in between them in time to block two attacks on both sides. The combined forces of the two nearly pushed him down to the ground. Sawyer was never naturally ambidextrous but his Mistress forced him anyway. He still favor his right hand though, which caused him to nearly lose grip of the Flamberge that was locked with the shape-shifting sword of the boy named Finn.

"Where did you stashed the Princess of Flames, boy? Tell me!"

"What the BJORK? Get out of here dude! Things are yogaballs crazy in here!"

He ignored Finn and stared at the Ice Prince who was glaring at him with pure hatred. Bonnie told him that this guy could be defeated by taking off his golden crown, but Sawyer can't see any. He does have a golden robotic arm. _Maybe I could take that off?_

"This is your last warning! Stand down or I will kill you both!" He wasn't even sure if he could do that. _Of course you can. Killing is second nature for you. The end justifies the means. Don't be a hypocrite. Your hands were brushed with red ever since..._

The Ice Prince broke the clashing of their swords and flew back. "SUCK MY SHIRT!"

The surprise attack caught him off guard as a long spiky ice beam embedded itself on his left arm, splattering drops of blood on the candy street. The pain jolted him into alertness though as he evaded a solid block of ice, which hit the boy behind him. _That's what you get for being distracted. That's right, I can do this. C'mon._

He slowly stepped back, the three of them roughly forming a triangle. A large crowd started gathering around them, some pouring out of their candy houses. Sawyer readied both of his sword and watched as more blood ooze from his left arm. He has to finish this fight, and fast. He can't afford to let civilians get hurt and fail on his first task as the Hero. The Flamberge burst into bluish-white flames while the longer blade, Truthsayer, started humming.

"Back off my business, Flanna! I thought you're no longer helping me?" The Ice Prince was distracted by what seemed to be a headache. Sawyer saw this a chance to dart forward and jam his Truthsayer at his left shoulder.

"Why, you lousy drat?! Treacherous bleeblop!" Blood spurt fort after he pulled back his blade, soiling his enemy's blue robes.

Sawyer tensed, the Truthsayer emitted large amount of bluish aura. With that phenomenon, his head was instantly filled with discordant memories not his own. Junktown burning, the nuke exploding in hazy green mushroom cloud, and this icy person. At that moment he knew, this goblin-like boy, this Ice Prince, is none other than his brother. _Hand of madness, huh? The beginning and the end? _

"YOU! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

He slashed his brother with the Flamberge, which he tried blocking with a sword made of ice. Sawyer's blade went through like hot knife to butter and opened a long and burning gash across the Prince chest. He was about to finish off the bastard with the Truthsayer when Finn blocked his thrust with some kind of sword made of grass.

"Stop! You'll kill him!"

Sawyer used his elbow to smash Finn's face and proceeded to swipe at his legs, reaping apart his flesh and drawing blood. The flaming shortsword also singed Finn's leg. The boy retaliated by punching him so hard straight in the face, that it sent him hurtling a few feet in the air and landed hard on the ground headfirst.

The last few things he saw was Jake swooping down on Finn, with the Princess of Flames on his back, and his brother flying away as blood splattered beneath him. Sawyer felt a few loose tooth and knew no more.

~~o~~

"Finn!"

Marceline screamed in annoyance. The TV Wall chose this moment to stutter and turn off. She picked up her bass axe and was about to bash the wall when Prismo teleported her back to her seat. The vampire glared at the white deity.

"It would be great if you don't trash my place, you know?"

"Fix the TV!" Bonnie glared daggers at Prismo, who chuckled nonchalantly.

"I can't."

Suddenly, a hooded figure smashed through the TV Wall from the outside. Dark shadows enveloped the person as he calmly walked inside. Debris rose away from the being and hurtled towards them. Marceline grabbed her friend's hand and took off into the air.

"Don't get in my way, vampire scum. I've had enough of you from the universe I just came from." The voice dictated that this person was a man. A man with a very deep voice.

"Look, Marcy, that person is fourth-dimensional!"

Prismo sighed. "Cosmic Owl said you'll come. I just wished you didn't chose this particular moment to pop out. Can't you see I have girls in my turf?"

"Shut up, you unworthy deity. Let's see you deal with a _precursor._ "

Prismo turned to them with a sad expression. "Well, girls. Time flies when you're having fun. It's been great and I hope I'll see you soon."

Light suddenly filled Marceline's vision, obstructing whatever happening inside the Time Room. They were teleported by Prismo, for that she was sure. A feeling of being pulled whipped her back to reality as she felt herself plummeting straight downwards. She hit the grassy ground hard, creating a large, bed-sized crater.

"Where am I?"

A smell of burning flesh caught her attention. The sun was beating down her neck. Marceline immediately looked around and saw a canopy of trees that offered shade from the sun.

"Bonnie? Bonnibel? Where are you?"

She can't find a single evidence that the pink princess landed here with her. The Vampire Queen felt a deep-seated worry forming in her guts.

~~o~~

Well, how about that? Did it met your expectation somehow? I can't really imagine Sawyer battling with Finn and Ice Prince on equal footing, so I took certain paths that seemed cheating. Sorry if it came across to some people that the two Finn were defeated by a cheating a**hole.

Ooobserver: I hope you liked the Truthsayer (it doesn't really work the same way as Finn's Infinity Sword in CoT, but still...) and the whole Prismo thing. Thanks again dude!

I do not own the fourth-dimensional dude (Astrum), he belongs to Ooobserver and his fantastic Citadel of Truth. Hope I did him justice, and...yeah. Prismo will probably no longer be in this story, and you have to read CoT to know why.

This chapter marks the end of the introductory 'arc'. I intend this story to be short so...

Please read and review! Have a nice day!


	14. Chapter 14

I do not own Adventure Time. I do not own the song Burning Hearts. It belongs to Silverstein.

~~o~~

Chapter 13 - Burning Hearts

"How are you holding up, Finn?"

Finn cringed at the pain on his leg. "I think we have to use some of our Cyclope's Tears. The wound feels hot!"

"But we have to conserve that!"

He stared at his brother, half-pleading and half-commanding. With a nod, Jake reached for Finn's backpack and pulled out the small bottle of healing tears. A few drops of the liquid closed the wound and healed the burns. The last oozes of blood pooled beneath his feet. He felt nauseous.

"That's better." He stood up and wiggled his foot. "Alright, no more pain!"

Finn stopped, finally acknowledging the silence of Flame Princess. He looked around and saw her sitting alone near the entrance of Marceline's Cave. Finn decided to walk closer to the fiery girl and sat beside her. Flame Princess shot a glancing look at him.

"How are you?"

"There's still some pain in my leg. But I'll live."

"That's good..." Suddenly, Flame Princess broke into tears.

Finn was startled by this, immediately trying to come up with comforting words. "What's wrong?"

"My Prince...Ice Prince! I'm worried for him and I want to go to his place, but he's scaring me!"

"Uh...but he's dangerous. I know he's important to you and all but-"

"How did you knew that?"

Finn was taken aback. Prismo forbid them to reveal too much information about the Multiverse, and explaining to Flame Princess how he knew about her and Ice Prince's connection. The Flame Princess back in his own universe will surely look down on his next actions.

"I kinda guessed. I mean, while fighting him, he was distracted in making you safe."

The fiery monarch withdrew her piercing gaze at Finn and looked into the sky. The dusk will soon give way to the night, evident with the last streaks of orange light into the horizon. The only bright light around was the Princess next to him.

"Why did you saved me?"

"Because I still lo-"

_No, no, no, no, no! Bad Finn! She's not the same Flame Princess! Get a grip!_

"-love saving damsels in distress! Not that I stopped though."

"Like a knightly prince?"

"Wah? Yes! Of course, whatevs."

Flame Princess smiled sadly at Finn. Even with the differences with the FP she knew, their smiles were largely the same. The way their lips curve upward, only showing a little of their teeth, and the smile reaching up their eyes, brightening up their faces metaphorically and literally. Finn felt a mixture of joy and pain. Joy because it has a been a long time since he got this close to Flame Princess, and pain because she was not the same princess, and that princess was not very keen to see him.

"You remind me so much of my Ice Prince, you know? Just minus the blue skin, white hair and long nose."

"Well, I..."

"Finn? Dinner's reaaaadddddyyyy!"

"Oh hey, c'mon, let eats! I mean, lets eat..."

Flame Princess nodded and they both stood up to go inside the deeper part of the cave. It was Jake's idea to go to this place, thinking this will only be the place where no one would try to catch them. They would have been fugitives now because of the events earlier in the afternoon. Of course, there would be no Marceline and her house, remembering what happened to her in this universe.

"Spaghetti?"

"Yeah, but we don't have enough sauce so..."

"That's alright, Jake."

"Here, Princess, dig on this coal!"

"Thanks...?"

The group spent the dinner in silence. This was highly unusual for Jake, who always liked a hearty conversation in between chewing his food. Even Finn could feel some of his initial enthusiasm being being sucked out of him. _This universe is a total glareballs. Everything is almost the same but at the same time, they aren't._

"Jake? What's wrong?"

His brother looked straight at his eyes, complete with rare focus and gravity. "I just can't imagine that kid will actually do that to you."

Finn absentmindedly touched his healed leg, some of the blood had already dried and cracking. "What I'm more concerned is about Peebles, bro. She shouldn't be imprisoning Flame Princess and ordering a kid to kill us. That's so...un-PB-like."

"We should be more careful of her and Sawyer from now on Finn."

"Sawyer?"

"The kid's name is Sawyer."

Finn thought for a while, trying to remember all the universe they had watched on Prismo's TV Wall. One of them showed a family waving goodbye to an older alternate of himself. In that, there was this boy, alternate Finn's brother, who really resembled Sawyer minus the hardened look. They couldn't be the same person, he thought. That was an alternate universe to this one they are currently in, one where the alternate Finn never found the the Crown and the bomb never went off. In the universe they were in, Ice Prince's brother should have been dead hundreds of years ago.

Suddenly, Flame Princess spoke shyly. "What's gonna happen now? I got you both in trouble, didn't I? Maybe you should hand me over to Princess Bubblegum."

"Heck, no! She'll lock you up again! I can't let her do that!"

Jake looked at him thoughtfully. "Finn, lay off the romancy sweety things, okay? Put a rein on yourself, a cloud a day won't last till tomorrow."

"Okay...? I think I get what your point is, but we can't just hand her over!"

"Snaps! Chillax dude! We'll figure something out." The dog turned his gaze at the fiery girl. "What exactly is PB doing with you anyway?"

To Finn's horror, Flame Princess started to cry hard. Her flames intensified, illuminating the whole cave with orange glow, as lava tears pooled near her feet. The little bonfire they had going in the makeshift campsite burned stronger and hotter.

"She...studied me. My body, I mean. That Princess is evil and she always forced me to undress whenever she got the chance, mostly at night when no one bothers her. That evil lady has these gloves I can't burn away and she uses those to... to...to...touch me in places my Ice Prince said I should always cover up!"

"FP, slow down, you lost me there." Finn tapped at his brother to get his attention. "What's PB doing to her?"

"Bro, I don't think I should...I dunno. All I know is that the PB in our universe would never do THAT to FP."

Finn just scratched his head in confusion.

"Bubbles starts gently when she is in a good mood. But on the third day of my imprisonment... she...she...it still sometimes hurts up to now." Flame Princess gestured somewhere between her tummy and legs. "Everyday I thought of why my Prince left me at that evil witch's lair. Everyday, I wished he would climb into the window and save me, explain his actions, and take me back to our kingdom."

"He did came to save you. Well, I'm sorry if I tried to stop him though..."

"Yes, yes, yes, he came! But he's different! I never saw my Ice Prince that angry before! He was always gentle and soft-spoken around me! He is too scary now...he changed! He changed..." The Princess started rocking softly in her rock seat.

Finn immediately scooted closer to her and tried to place a hand on her shoulder. He only got a slightly burned palm for his action. "Don't cry, FP. I'll protect you, remember?"

The girl didn't replied, but only settled down on the cold ground and curled into a fetal position. Finn gazed at the mouth of the cave, darkness completely taking over everything as night neared its prime. He resorted to singing his favorite song to soothe the crying lady beside her, his Mom's lullaby. Jake smiled encouragingly at him as he sang. Within a few moments, the poor princess was drifting off to sleep.

Jake went closer and whispered into his ear. "I'll be on the first watch, you should rest up too, bro. Gotta recover all that lost life juice."

Finn whispered a thank you and lay down close to Flame Princess, facing her. He watched as Jake stretched to the cave's entrance and started his vigilant watch. He sure hoped he will not fall asleep on duty.

"Good night, Princess." His whisper was barely audible, but he could swear the girl smiled in her sleep.

~~o~~

"...Finn!"

_What?_

"...Finn."

He opened his eyes and found out he was snoozing in a middle of the Grassland Marketplace. He raised his hands and was shocked to that they were covered in tin foils. Finn looked around and instantly recognized what's happening.

"Finn, don't tell me you're sleeping in a middle of a busy market? C'mon, or I'll burn this place up!" Flame Princess came into view, her short hair and white dress fitting nicely together.

"I said no burning, FP! No burning!"

_Our date. On the marketplace. Right after out first dungeon crawl! Is this a dream? Why...it feels so real!_

"I'm just kidding, of course I won't burn anything or anyone. I'll TRY."

Finn smiled nervously, suddenly remembering she did burned someone on that day. "I guess that's good enough."

They walked hand in hand through various stalls the market has to offer. For some peculiar reason, he found himself automatically speaking his replies, word for word replay of that day. Their leisure walk brought them closer to a candle shop where two humanoids were managing the business. The older woman smiled at them and instantly beckoned them to look at their merchandise.

"Good morning, my dears! Have a look at our merchandise. What do you need?"

"Finn, I'm kinda low on scented candles. I was wondering if you..."

"Get some more from you're old room in Fire Kingdom?"

"No! Buy me one of this!"

"Oh, I've got money here. Don't worry, pick anything you like."

"Thanks, Finn!" Flame Princess beamed at him and gently squeezed his hand. Finn felt the heat rushing to his cheeks, and it got nothing to do with the Princess' flames. "Uh...what could you recommend, Ma'am? I want something that could help me sleep better at night."

"Then you'd better try this cute one over here." The old woman lifted a stubby purplish candle for everyone to see. "It's made with lavender and chamomile extract. This will certainly ease any of your worries at night, darling."

"That's great! How much does that cost? I'll buy a pack." Flame Princess looked expectantly at Finn, with the puppy-eyes he thought her himself.

"Anything for you, FP." Who could resist her puppy-eyes?

Finn handed over a few pieces of gold, much to the old woman's surprise, in exchange for a pack of her merchandise. Flame Princess slid the candles inside her fireproof handbag, a handbag he personally got for her. Finn remembered all the trouble he went through just to get that gift.

_"Peebles, please, just make me an awesome fireproof bag and I'll do anything you want! "_

_"Alright...hmmm. Remember those tree stumps I PERSONALLY asked you to remove YEARS ago?"_

_"Uh...yeah. What about them?"_

_"I want you to remove them NOW! I went over there a few days ago and found out you only manage to remove one stump. Now do it, chop-chop!"_

_"Yes, m'lady!"_

After buying a dozen of scented candles, they bid goodbye to the kind elderly woman and continued walking around the marketplace. Some people smiled at them as they constantly showed affection for one another, others jeered and shouted 'get a room!' much to Finn's slight annoyance. On one particular time, a water nymph she recognized hanging around with her friend on the fountain a few distance from their Tree House, suddenly cried and ran away after seeing the two of them.

"Finn? Who's that girl?" A knowing look was present in FP's face.

"What? No, no, no, no, I don't know her. Not personally, no. I mean, I saw her sometimes and Jake-"

"Why are you getting all nervous? Relax, I'm just asking if you know her. She seemed distressed upon seeing us."

"FP, I really, really, really, really, don't know! I'm not, I don't even know her name! Please stop looking at me like that!"

Flame Princess suddenly burst into a short series of laughter and hushed him. "Look! I'm just asking. I believe you. I'll always believe in you."

_Now I feel like a real jerk, knowing I'll break her trust in few more months after this._

"Thanks, Flame Princess."

The Princess shot her a reassuring smile. "Hey, over there! I wanna try that, Finn!"

Flame Princess pulled him as they ran towards where she pointed. Upon closing in, Finn read the caption on the stall's sign board.

"Billie the Kid, Ooo's Greatest Marksman - Challenge me if you DARE! C'mon now FP, it might be just some nutball selling phony -"

"Who are you calling phony, boy?" A gruff voice spoke behind them.

"Wow. You're creepy." Flame Princess couldn't have phrased better what was on his mind that moment.

A goat standing on his hind legs took off his hooves and stared at them with his vacant and unblinking eyes. The weird animal certainly reminded Finn of the Freak Deer he and Jake defeated a long time ago. Caressing his pointed horns, the goat motioned for them to move closer to the stall.

"Welcome to my _fun _shop, I'm Billie the Kid and I know you came to challenge me, my beauties." Billie raised his hands and twirled his fingers. _Freak goat!_

"What's the challenge anyway?"

"FP? You're seriously taking on this weirdo's challenge?"

"Why not? When have you been so scaredy, Finn?" FP stuck out her tongue at him.

"Well, I'll just be behind you in case this cragbum do something creepo."

Billie the Kid pulled a string hanging near the right entrance of the wooden stall, parting away the black curtain that made his business more ominous. It revealed a circular targeting board several feet away, with alternating red and white circular stripes and a single small red dot at the center.

"Listen up, my cuties, mechanics are easy enough. You just gotta score more against me by shooting closer to the center, and each of us has only three tries. You can use any projectile weapons on top of that counter." The strange bipedal goat pointed on a nearby table laden with bows and blasters that seemed to have once belonged to Princess Bubblegum. "Just don't ask me where I got my hooves on those photon cannons, and we're cool."

"This sounds fun! What's the prize?"

"You'll know soon enough. It's a _surprise_, my beautie-cuties. On other hand, when you lose, you'll have to pay the _price."_

"You wanna try this too, Finn?"

"No, thanks FP. Hey Billie, let's see you shoot first."

"Sure thing, babycakes." His gruff voice was starting to annoy him. It was like listening to sandpaper being scrubbed against wood over and over again.

The goat nonchalantly pulled out some kind of black metallic weapon out of nowhere and fired three times. Finn's jaw dropped as all invisible projectiles punctured the red dot in the center of the target.

"Son of a -"

"You cheating stinky work animal!" Finn marveled at Flame Princess way with words.

"This is a gun, my berry pies. A revolver to be fairly exact. People in olden times used this to...snuff each other. It fires metals at high speeds you see. Okay, sweetpea, your turn!" A new target replaced the used one, dropping the latter to the ground.

"FP, don't! Let's get away from here!"

"I got this, Finn."

She went closer to the stand and chose a metal bow. The metallic weapon remained sturdy against the heat, much to Flame Princess delight. The string was a different matter though, burning up instantly the moment she tried drawing it.

"Maybe you should try a different death tool, my floppy beard!"

"Shut up, Billie!"

To Finn's amazement, Flame Princess shot a flare of curling fire to connect both ends of the bow and effectively making her own string. She made fire arrows to complement the modifications to the weapon. She took a deep a breath and let loose a fire arrow. It zoomed and punctured the red dot, singing the edges of the hole and earning applauses from the gathering crowd.

Finn in particular, gained renewed awe at the Princess. During that time, he never knew Flame Princess was good at bows and arrows. "You can do it, FP!"

"Watch this, Finn!"

She pulled back the fire string and another arrow materialized, firing it so surely. The projectile did not made a new hole but instead zoomed past the old one. The people cheered and came closer to the stall. Finn was getting antsy by that moment, knowing full well what would happen.

"Here it comes!" She fired another arrow, which made another burning hole a few inches from the existing one. It was well-off the red dot, in other words.

"Aw man...now we gotta pay, Finn. Do you still have some money there?"

Suddenly, Billie the Kid intervened. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, it seems like you don't understand what the _price _is. Clue, it's not money or any material thing. The _price _and _prize _is one and the same, my beauties."

"What is it?" Finn was getting steadily alarmed.

"Your life."

Billie the Kid opened his mouth and showed rows of razor sharp teeth. Finn reached for his Demon Blood Sword on his back and brandished it in front of him. He beckoned Flame Princess to get behind him. The crowd ran away in terror, a typical reaction when you see a demonic freak goat reveal its equally freakish teeth.

"Now be good my beauties and let me feed on your life!"

"FP, I need some fireballs here!"

The Princess complied and launched burning spheres that the Freak Goat swallowed whole. "Wow, that's some appetizer you got there chickpea!"

"Stop calling us those things, you sick freak!"

Finn ran towards their enemy with a battle cry and swung down hard, only to be evaded by Billie. Flame Princess summoned twin fireblades in her hands and came to his aid, blocking the advances of the goat. They both backed away, trying to assess just what Billie could do.

"It's a shame I couldn't use this gun. Wouldn't want to spoil your life now, eh?"

"Shut up!"

"Finn!"

He swerved and saw, to his horror, that Billie had the Princess in his hands. Before he could try to bite the girl, Finn jumped and made a large swing with his sword. Billie's horns were cleaved, making him yell in pain or frustration.

"You'll pay for that!"

Flame Princess took the enemy's distraction as an opportunity to slash him with her twin fireblades, burning the goat's furry chest. Billie disappeared again, but the black blood pouring out of his wound made him and his movement easy to spot.

"Fireballs to your left!"

"I've got better idea!"

Flame Princess sent a steady stream to his left and hit the demon goat square in the face, felling the creature. Billie screamed in pain, his wail lasting for a whole minute, before continuing it to a maniacal laugh.

"What gives?"

"You win today, my beauties. But this I promise you both, will not be the death of me. Keep those burning hearts alight, my dearies. I want them nice and savory when I come back for your lives."

With one last laugh, the demonic freak goat disappeared in a cloud of black blood mist. Finn remained vigilant for a few moments, expecting another surprise attack. None came though as he walked closer to Flame Princess.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Finn. How about you?"

"I'm okay, just a bit shaken. I hate freak creatures."

They we're about to move on from the event when suddenly, the scene changed. The marketplace was replaced by the throne room of Fire Kingdom and Flame Princess' hair became longer.

"...and because I love her."

Cinnamon Bun suddenly came into view and took Flame Princess hand as they ascend the throne. One of the most heartbreaking moment in his life just decided to invade his dreamscape. Sometimes, his brain is a ham whenever it stops being stupid.

"Why...no. FP? What are you doing?"

Flame Princess stared at him with a look of pity and annoyance. "C'mon, Finn. Cinnamon Bun is a thousand times more manly than you. You're just a kid, why did I even believed in you?"

_That didn't happen, right? I could swear that didn't happened._

"Jeez, you're still into her? You're still thinking about this junk? Really, weenie?"

"Marceline?! How did...how-"

"Not here, Finny."

The scene changed again, this time showing the familiar Grasslands. The sun was setting on the horizon, bathing the distant hills with ethereal orange glow. Calming breeze glaze over the reaching grasses, making them dance in sync with the wind.

"Marceline, how and why are you here?"

The vampire hovered above Finn and placed a kiss on his left cheek. "Nice to see you too, weenie."

He blushed unexpectedly. "I'm serious. Our dre-"

"Don't say the word! It will jack up our synchronization!"

"Oh sorry. Our sleepy-thoughts are connected again, so that means you're just nearby. I'm in an alternate universe, how did you got here?"

"I'm not going to tell you how exactly, but Prismo probably sent me here on mistake."

"Prismo? Why?"

"We went there, me and Bonnie, but someone busted up the place. Probably an enemy of Prismo, from the look of things. Boom, I got here. No Bonnie on sight though."

"What do you know of our situation, Marcy?"

"Everything up to the end of your fight with those two twerps. I must say, I was disappointed."

Marceline pulled out the Imatari out of nowhere. The dying rays of light glinting across the metallic blade and illuminated the cross guard that resembled wings of a firebird in flight. The yellow orb that decorated the end of the black handle glinted with light.

"Its original form looks awesome, but it's a sham..." Marceline threw the sword, sending it flying a few meters away from them before striking hard earth. "...in the wrong hands."

Finn was amazed as Marceline pulled the chain connecting her hand and the sword, dragging back the weapon. "Well, I'm sorry I have a sucky imagination."

"C'mon, you'r not even trying. So, tell me, where are you now?"

"Me and Jake are in your cave."

"You two sure love to squat in my dwellings, huh?"

"Well, it's really not yours...you see."

"Hush. I know, you don't have to explain anything to me. Prismo made sure of that."

They sat in silence, basking in the light rays of the perpetual twilight. Finn watched as Marceline played with his Imatari, changing the weapon to some sort of axe bass different from hers. It produced even lower notes and made the earth in front of her vibrate.

"Finn! Behold the Earthshaker!" The vampire strummed it hard, resulting into a strong tremor.

"Watch it!"

The vampire just laughed hard, apparently having fun with his 'toy'.

"I bet Bonnibel would have a fit when she saw this thing! _That's scientifically impossible!_"

Finn chortled in her impression of Peebles' high-pitched sing-song voice. "Do you think she's okay?"

"I'm sure of it. Maybe Prismo sent me here on purpose. For what reason, I'm still about to find out."

"If you say so."

"So, Finn? Do you still like-like Flame Princess?"

"Of course! I still...actually I'm not really sure myself. I always wear a mask of coolness in front of everybody. I don't want others thinking I can't move on with her. But...yeah I still love her, I think."

Much to his confusion, Marceline's smile disappeared momentarily. "Oh."

"What's wrong, Marcy?"

"Well, I just thought, after all the moments we spent together when I became a baby, you had already moved on."

"I didn't. It's not that easy. You, of all, people should know that. Being a thousand year old and all."

Marceline's face hardened and she growled at her. "Well, excuse me, but did you just called me OLD?"

"What? No, no, no, no, I didn't mean you're old! Experienced and matured! Yeah, you're experienced and matured!"

"Experienced, yes. But matured? Really, Finn?" Marceline turned invisible and reappeared directly in front of him, their faces only inches apart. Finn could smell her breath, a sweet strawberry scent. "Boo."

"Um...could you back away a bit? Stop acting weird, Marcy. And what's with the strawberry breath?"

"Oh. Probably because of the Slurpy Prismo gave us."

"Okay...I'll just pretend I know that."

"Finn? What do you think of me?"

"What's with the questions, Marcy? What's gotten to you?"

"Just answer question!"

"Okay, okay! You're...beautiful, talented, funny, strong, and sexy."

"Wow, Finn. You sure more brave in this world of ours than in the real word. You find me sexy?"

"Jake said I should tell that to all girls who asked to be praised. Is that wrong?"

Marceline scratched her head in frustration. "But you meant all you said, right?"

Finn nodded, making the vampire blush.

"What's the matter?"

"Finn, I think I'm falling for you. Don't look at me like that! I just...dang. Forget I said that."

"You expect me to forget something so important like that?"

"What's important, Finn?"

He looked back and saw Flame Princess kneeling beside him in the grass. The leaves underneath her instantly burned away, the ashes blown by the wind. Finn tensed. He knew he's just dreaming, a lucid dream, but the fiery girl looked so real.

"You do still love her, right? I think I just got dumped by a dweeb." Finn saw a single tear cascade down her right cheek.

"I'm sorry. I can't stop thinking about her. The only reason that made everything better was when I stayed away from Flame Princess, but now that I'm literally lying down next to her, it's suddenly harder to move on again."

"So you did not let the Ice Prince take her away, right?"

"Yep."

The vampire nodded in approval, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Finny, I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me these past months. I can't believe you're actually better than Bonnie at taking care of babies."

"I'm surprised myself!"

Marceline handed back his Imatari, which he held carefully in his right hand. Finn absentmindedly let his thumb roam across the blue orb in the center of the cross guard. "Finn? Where are we?"

"We're in the Grasslands, FP."

"Oh yeah, this was where we always went to after a date or a dungeon crawl. Remember the butt we got from the chest we retrieved?"

Finn decided to humor his own memory of Flame Princess. "Of course, you burned that thing in instant. I can't decide which fart was nastier, Jake's fart or that thing's fart."

The Princess scooted closer to him and leaned on his shoulder. Finn expected himself to burn, but did not. This was a dream, after all. Everything would be perfect. They locked eyes, a longing look on Flame Princess' face.

"Finn, that's not the right way to move on." Marceline intervened on his actions. "You're basically about to make out with yourself, c'mon."

"Heh, you're right."

Suddenly, a large blast of wind hit them. Out of nowhere, a large and golden owl swooped down on them. "Finn the Human."

"Cosmic Owl? Get out of my dream! You're the reason I broke up with Flame Princess! SCRAM!"

Strangely, Cosmic Owl sporadically turned black as night and then back again. It was like gazing into deep space. Some of his feathers rain down on the three of them. "Looks like, Cosmic Owl is in trouble."

"Yeah, Marcy, you're right."

"Finn the Human! Heed my request. Save their souls. The answer is in the girl beside you."

To everyone's shock, the avian deity exploded into brilliant cluster of sparks. Golden shards rained down a few feet from them, forming a vague image of older Finn Mertens, Flanna Hacksworth, Ice Prince, Flame Princess, Princess Bubblegum, and Sawyer. It only lasted for a few seconds before they were blown away by the wind.

"Alright. No more spaghetti before sleeping."

"Finn, I think that's the real Cosmic Owl. And he seemed to be talking either about me or FP over there."

"Dang it. How could I even save them if I can't even understand his cryptic messages?"

"Settle down, weenie. I'll be with you every step of the way."

"Will I see you in the morning?"

"Yes, Finn. Remember, this is only a _dream._"

With that, the Vampire Queen dissolved into nothingness together with the scene. Finn was again helplessly swept away by combinations of memories and imaginations.

"I can do this. I will save you all."

~~o~~

I hope this chapter went smoother than the previous one!

andrethefavorite16: I dunno man. Maybe subconsciously. But I kinda had this idea ever since I read the ending of the first TAU. I read your comment sometime later, but I already have the idea by then. Miss SCIK approved, and boom. Anyways, thanks for the review, dude!

Ooobserver: I promise you, that cheating will never happen again. Haha. Sawyer just got lucky.

The Nephilim King Michael: Glad you liked this story! I'm trying to match up to the scope and epicness of this story's 'parent' stories. I really want to please the authors I borrowed from!

Man, I hate Cinnamon Bun with every fiber of my being. And Flame Princess seemed ungrateful to me. Well, looks like we folks have to move on now about Flinn, seeing that The Red Throne kinda kicked that shipping in the boingloings. JUST KIDDING! No need to raise those pitchforks!

I hope Betty makes up for that lacklustre episode. February 24 can't come soon enough.

Read and review, dudes!


	15. Chapter 15

I do not own Adventure Time. Again, Silverstein owns the title of this chapter.

~~o~~

Chapter 14 - Sacrifice

"Mertens!"

"What now, Sam?"

"Astrid needs a break. We've been walking for two hours straight now!"

Sawyer pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew taking these two lovebirds was a bad idea but his Mistress insisted. They need scavenging experience, she said. It will be easy, she said. Supply raids will be more fun, she said. Sawyer pinched the bridge of his nose again.

"Alright, we'll take a break here."

He carefully sat himself on a nearby concrete slab. It seemed to have belonged to the ruins of a furniture shop along some business district. The off-white rock provided little comfort for his butt, but it will be much better than to stand in one place while waiting for his two luggage to rest. To be fair, Sam and Astrid were nice fellows as a whole; they just can't stop whining. Their age cannot be the root cause of their attitude, since all three of them were the same age of 14.

"Thanks, Mertens."

Astrid just shot him a toothy grin, being mute an all. Her big grey eyes reflected the bleak greenish sky above. Sawyer stole a glance upwards, immediately regretting it. He had always wondered how the other places of Earth have been holding up. For a decade or so, no one figured what to do with the death hanging in the atmosphere. _If I could just get out of this planet or something._

"Don't sleep, we've got to move soon. I don't want to be on the road when night hits."

Sam and Astrid nodded attentively. It almost felt bad feeling and acting superior to the couple, what with them being the closest he got for childhood friends, but Sawyer cannot help it. He really was superior to these two orphans in terms of surviving in the wastelands.

The dark haired boy decided to break the monotony. "Hey, Mertens. What do you think about those rainbow horses?"

"What? Those Mr. McBryen told us the other day?"

"Yeah. I just can't believe those things ate a whole village-worth of people."

Sawyer thought for a moment. "Sounds like bull to me. Well, the mutants were a load of bull too until I almost stepped on one myself."

"You did?" Sam looked up at him with awe.

"It burned a hole right through the soles of my shoe, cost me precious time in finding a replacement."

"You kicked it to submission?" He looked so eager now.

Sawyer stared at Sam right in his black eyes and shook his head. "You don't pick a fight with a mutant. All you can do is run and pray."

"Man, you're lame. Not how Old Choose Bruce told you to be."

Astrid signaled at her friend to shut up. At least one of them has common sense to keep quiet and not to piss him off. Still, Sawyer have some things to straighten out with Sam before they continue with the supply raid.

"Look, I'm the sole reason here why you two whiny babies are still alive."

"Pssh...by hiding whenever there's imaginary danger. Dude, you're just some paranoid in a hoodie."

Sawyer could feel rage building inside him. One more word from the stupid kid will probably make him knock a tooth or two.

"Either paranoid or a coward. Maybe, a mix of two."

He slowly walked up to Sam, their evenly matched height becoming more apparent, and punched him in his stomach. The boy doubled over in pain, which Sawyer took the chance to slam the left side of his face down on the ground. He pressed down hard and punched him one more time in the guts.

"Lesson one in scavenging, never piss off the only person who can keep you alive."

He could feel Astrid weakly try to prise him off her boyfriend, to no avail. Sawyer thought about their current situation. If he was a mutant, the girl would not have the strength to save Sam.

"I'm sorry! You're hurting my neck! Please ge'off!"

He stood up and helped Sam on his feet. Sawyer hoped the boy learned his lesson, he really didn't want to know the limits of his patience. _This is why I hate going to supply raids with someone._

"C'mon, let's get going. New Junktown is still a day's travel away. We've got to cover more ground before nightfall."

Sawyer turned away and started walking. He was about to rummage through the haul inside of his knapsack when a blow to the back of his head dropped him to his knees. It wasn't hard enough to make him see stars, much to his luck. Sam proceeded to tackle him to the ground. Astrid kept making gibberish sounds in panic as he pulled himself free from Sam's grip.

"Stop, you moron!"

"Coward! Fight me, Mertens!"

He side stepped and delivered a hook, catching Sam right in his right eye. The boy retaliated by going for his throat, strangling Sawyer. He threw another hook, this time landing on his enemy's left ear. Sam's hold on him slackened, which he took as an opportunity to smash the boy's annoying face on his knee.

"Oof!" You bast-"

Sam pushed him hard and caused him to stumble back against something hard. Sawyer looked and was shocked to completely forget about the numerous cars that littered the road. To his horror, the rusty four-seater he accidentally leaned on alarmed loudly. The very sound sent him on panic while the two luggage just stare at him, dumbfounded.

"Lesson two of scavenging? Never touch a car or any vehicle."

Suddenly, but not unexpected, collective groans filled the air. A few feet from them, five mutants wormed out of an overturned grey van. The former humans looked terrible, the usual green goo was accompanied by some blood. Sawyer frowned at that. As far as he knew, these things don't bleed red blood.

"What are you waiting for? RUN!"

He ran towards the general direction of their destination, this time keeping off the road for fear of setting off more alarms. He can't go inside the forest though, the dead trees offer little cover and could only possibly hinder their escape. Sawyer glanced back and and saw the two, face ashen and already tired from short burst of running.

"Not so brave now, huh, Sam?"

"Shut it, Mertens!"

Ignoring the boy, Sawyer set his eyes down the road. To his further dismay, more mutants were crawling out of cars and other vehicles. They will not be able to escape these as easy as earlier. Mutants may look dumb, but these creatures seemed to have basic instinct to trap their victims.

"This is all your fault, Sam!"

The boy did not answered. Frowning, he slowed down and looked back. Sam was doubled over and coughing up blood on his hands. His knees shook weakly as beads of sweat fall down from his face. Sawyer knew what was happening. They all had seen numerous people succumbed to that violent coughing, dropping dead in mere days or weeks after the first burst of coughs. The settlers of New Junktown deemed it necessary to bury the dead quickly, or burn them in mass incinerations, for fear of further spreading the disease that struck the poor fellows.

"Astrid, keep running! I'll take care of Sam."

Sawyer ran closer to Sam and offered support. He tried his best to rally the boy, letting them catch up to Astrid. The mutants that were about to block their way was getting close. Their stench started to fill his nostrils again. No matter how many times he smelled these sick former humans, Sawyer will never be comfortable with the odor.

"Hey, I'm sorry Mertens... I shouldn't have told you those things."

"It's alright. Don't speak. You'll just cough harder."

"If we survive this, I'll promise I'll do everything you say."

Sawyer forced a smile. He almost had change of heart on what he was about to do. A few feet from the mutants, Astrid uttered a muffled yell as Sawyer threw a winding punch at Sam's solar plexus. He then kicked his left knee, which made an audible crack. The boy yelled in surprise and pain, a look of bewilderment in his face.

"What are you doing, Mertens?! Oh, God! It hurts!"

"Something I should have done earlier."

Astrid weakly kicked Sawyer as the five mutants from earlier were starting to catch up to them. Sawyer decided to act fast, wiping the tears forming in his eyes. He grabbed Astrid's hand and pulled her through the throng of mutants. The former humans decided to attack the helpless boy lying prone on the ground.

_I'm sorry._

Sawyer easily ignored the sound of ripping flesh, but he could never ignore Sam's dying wails. He just wished he killed the boy first before leaving him, but he didn't knew if the mutants will react the same way to a dead prey the same way they react to a live one. He convinced himself that he had done it to survive, for Astrid to survive. Sam was about to die anyway. _The disease...but still._

Astrid continued to shout incomprehensible sounds at him.

"This is why I want to do supply raids alone..."

Astrid suddenly stopped running. Apparently, in her hysterics, she failed to notice a group of mutants appearing behind them. They clung to the hapless mute as they try to bite and pull at her flesh. Sawyer gripped her hand and pulled. He can't let another one die like how Sam left the mortal plane.

"Don't let go, Astrid!"

The sweat and grime made it hard to find a solid grip on her hand. To Sawyer's further horror, the mutants who mauled Sam finished their deed and was now turned towards them. If he let go, Sawyer can have one last decoy. He can't think of the other situation that might happen.

_I'm sorry._

Sawyer will never forget the look on Astrid's face as he let go of her hand. Time seemed to have slowed down, letting him see clearly the tears that the mute girl shed. Her silent scream permanently imprinted itself on his mind.

"I've got to...I'm sorry. I need to..."

_Survive._

_I'm sorry._

_I must survive._

_Survive._

"...survive. I thought I'll see the true extinction of humans with my very own eyes."

Sawyer opened his eyes and darted around. "I'm sorry Astrid! I'm so sorry!"

He blinked. _Where am I?_

"Are you alright, Say?"

Sawyer blinked again. He finally remembered what happened earlier. The rooftop battle, Jake, the Princess of Flames, the Ice Prince, the Truthsayer and his...brother. His head throbbed painfully from the memories flashing back in his mind.

"I'm alright, Princess-"

"Bonnie."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Bonnie. I think I had another one of those memory reflux."

"According to my research on the cryogenic machine you came from, the memory reflux will take a long time to go away..."

Sawyer pondered for a moment. He wished that the memories that will play everytime he sleep will be those pleasant ones. Not that he have many, anyway. Suddenly, he remembered his failure to do what the Princess ordered.

"I'm sorry, Bonnie! I failed to bring back Princess of Flames and catch the intruders! I'm really -"

The Princess pressed a finger on his lips, silencing him. The smell of bubblegum pervaded his senses immediately. He resisted the urge to bite off her smooth little finger. Sawyer looked straight at her eyes.

"It's alright, Say. I'm the one who should take the blame. I shouldn't have sent you after those people on your first mission. On account of my lapse in judgment, please forgive me for putting you in danger."

He didn't replied right away. Sawyer can't tell if the lady was really sorry or just making him more guilty than he was already. He let his eyes roam around the room, not believing his luck. He wasn't even far away from the hospital ward for long and here he was again.

"I just...It's not your fault Princess. I just can't do this stuff. I'm not fit for this kind of work."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I should have just worked in the kitchens or something."

Bonnie heartily laughed at him, the sound resembling chimes dancing in the wind. He blushed. Suddenly, he felt conscious of himself. _God, I must be laughable...and my smell! I literally did not took a bath for a millennium._

"No, Say. You're just not getting the hang of being a hero yet. Billy pretty much started the same way as you, and look at him now. Happily retired after his legendary deeds."

"I can't Princess. I have no business being a hero. And there's something too... about the Ice Prince."

"What is it, Say?"

"It's personal... I just don't think I can face him again so soon."

"You see, Say. I have my own personal things going on, my own weaknesses wearing me down, but as the ruler of Candy Kingdom, I have to set them aside for my responsibilities. Remember this, Say the Human, responsibility demands sacrifice."

"Something tells me, I'll never like where this is going."

"There are some things even I cannot do. I won't be able to protect my citizens from physical harm these people can bring. That is where you, as one of the heroes of the kingdom, figures in. To do my responsibilities..."

"...I'm your sacrifice."

The Princess smiled sadly at him, proving that he was right without even speaking. Sawyer cannot fathom why he readily agrees with the lady no matter what she says. In the long run, this could potentially be harmful to him. He looked down on his hands, the arm that was struck by ice shards was bandaged neatly.

"Bonnie? How long was I out?"

"A couple of hours. Joshua found you lying unconscious on the streets, bloody and prone. My citizens were too afraid to move you somewhere safer."

The Princess stood up and smoothed out her pink dress. The look on her face spelled out concern mixed with disappointment. Sawyer looked down in shame. This was supposed to be his chance to atone for his sins, and his first step already ended up in failure.

"I'm sorry, Bonnie..."

"I SAID IT'S ALRIGHT, OKAY?!"

He froze. Everything seemed familiar to him. The way Bonnie shouted, the way she contorted her face in sudden burst of anger, and the way she quickly changed her temperament. _Mistress?_

"Woah! I'm sorry Princess! I didn't mean to-"

Bonnie cupped his face and redirected his gaze to her eyes. Sawyer felt suddenly weird. There is more to this lady than what she was letting on.

"I'm sorry, Say. I'm just a little tired."

He forced a smile, not wanting to further aggravate the princess.

"Everytime you come back from your duties and missions, I will require you to do an oral report directly to me. Is that understood?"

Sawyer nodded.

"Good. Now tell me what informations you gathered about the two intruders and the Ice Prince."

He contemplated for a bit. Sawyer was torn between telling the princess the true identity of the Ice Prince and not telling her. "Both the boy in blue shirt and the Ice Prince have the same name, Finn. And..."

"And what?"

"The Ice Prince is my brother, Finn Mertens."

The Princess did not even blinked, apparently unaffected by the information. "Will that affect your resolve in future tasks? He's your brother."

"No. If it involve dispatching that pathetic bas-"

"Language, Say!" Bonnie waggled her finger in disapproval.

"...pathetic fool, I'll do it in a heartbeat. He caused my thousand year suffering after all. I just don't understand how he managed to live all those years that passed."

"The Crown kept him alive, but also made him insane. If you're wondering, yes, he's the reason the bomb went off."

"My Mistress told me that as much. Crown, huh? He was not wearing any when I fought him, just a golden mechanical arm."

"The Ice Prince is a powerful, albeit crazy, wizard. He probably found a way to meld the two metals that composed his right arm and the Crown."

So he was right. Sawyer should have slashed away the artificial arm. "As for the other boy, Finn, he is a human just like me. Around the same age too, and he runs around with Jake. He's some sort of magic dog."

Bonnie snorted at the word 'magic'. Something tells Sawyer it was not a good idea to bring up stuff about magic.

"That's probably some mutation, not magic."

He nodded. That was a topic better left off.

"I was wondering, m'lady, how could I fight these two effectively? The wounds I inflicted to them was just from lucky strikes."

"That is the reason I am placing you under Joshua's care and training. Together with him and Sir Rattleballs, they will teach you the ways of proper combat."

He nodded and immediately became nervous about the prospect of being under someone's tutelage. For Sawyer, it felt a bit too much like school; some place his Mistress seemed to miss so much.

"Bonnie? Why do you trust me so much? Your belief in my abilities is borderline exaggerating. What exactly did you saw in me?"

"I am the ruler of this kingdom. My intuition helped me shape this land."

Sawyer scratched the skin near the bandage in his left arm. With that, he suddenly remembered the loose teeth in his mouth. He let his tongue roam around was shocked to realize he now have a complete set of teeth.

"How did -"

The Princess winked at him. "Just a simple bone reconstruction serum I've created on my spare time."

"Gee, thanks. I guess." _This is weird._

"I can't let your pretty face go to waste, you silly boy."

"Well, considering the line of duty you placed me in, you should probably make a lot more of that stuff."

The Princess motioned him to sit upright, which he obeyed unquestioningly. Small popping sounds erupted from his stiff back. Sawyer ruffled his hair in slight annoyance.

Bonnie sat beside him and pulled out from her bag a very old and tattered book. "I want you to have this, something that will help you traverse the path of being a hero, the Enchiridion."

"Enchi-what?"

"This is the Hero's Handbook. Everything you need to know to become a great hero reside in the pages of this ancient book. Joshua originally found this inside a canopy in the dark forest south of Candy Kingdom. Use this well, Say."

Sawyer picked up the heavy and frail-looking book, admiring the intricate designs. The sword in the middle really piqued his interest. He felt like there was something hidden beneath the cryptic design of the book. He set it down beside him.

"Thank you, Bonnie. I'll take care of this book." He looked up at her. Sawyer was immediately reminded of their height difference. Bonnie easily beat him by a half a foot.

"So, have you thought where you want to live?"

"Uh. I really don't..."

The Princess coiled her arm around him, placing him in a one armed hug. He cringed at the thought of her smelling her stink, but at that thought, he noticed he was already in different clothes. Sawyer also smelled nice, probably the first time since a millennium.

"You can stay at the Candy Castle. I'll have a room ready for you. Is that alright with you, Say?"

"How could I ever make it up to you, Princess?"

"Just always do as I say."

"Of course m'lady, I am your sacrifice."

_Who cleaned me up though?_

"In case you're wondering, your clothes are in the laundry room. Don't worry, I already replicated your clothing style. You prefer hoods right?"

"Actually, yes. They offer better protection." He felt around his back and was delighted to realize his new pink apparel has a nice hood. "Well, looks like even my clothes are my debt to you. I just wished it was a different color though..."

Bonnie reached into his right sleeves and pressed some kind of button underneath the fabric. Sawyer watched in amazement as the hood copied the exact color of the bed sheet he was sitting on. Unfortunately, his pants remained denim blue in color.

"I haven't had the time to make you a camouflage pants though..."

"It's fine as it is, m'lady! This is so cool!" Sawyer felt like a kid at that moment.

"Choose Goose already showed up and informed me of your purchase of his two swords. Good call, I see." Bonnie pointed at the two blades leaning on his bedside table.

Sawyer wanted to hide the fact that the Truthsayer can reveal secrets of a wounded enemy, but he did not want to break the Princess' trust again. He reached for it and admired the infinity symbol on the cross guard. Practical and beautiful, that was how it is. Suddenly, an image of a golden temple invaded his mind. It only lasted for a split-second, much to his dismay.

"This sword...when I injured the Ice Prince with it, flashes of his memories flooded my mind. All pointed to the very truth I willingly waited for, the whereabouts of my brother."

Princess Bubblegum looked at him thoughtfully. Curiously, the Truthsayer's bluish aura slightly intensified and seemed to reach for the candy monarch. From his short experience with the peculiar blade, this could possibly mean that the Truthsayer was trying to tell him something.

"CG told me that sword belonged to a place called Citadel of Truth. A group of foolish humans tried to ransack the place, and that longsword seemed to have been one of the loot. That ancient artifact should be useful in the right hands. I suggest you keep it."

He eyed the simple but sharp-looking blade. "Yeah, I'll definitely hold on to this."

"How about the other one?"

"The Flam...berge? Flamberge. I dunno Princess. I don't think I can wield two swords at once." Truh be told, Sawyer definitely prefer the longsword over the broadsword. The Flamberge may have the advantage because of its ability to produce intense flames, but the Truthsayer was the one which pointed him to the truth about the Ice Prince.

"I'm very sure after your training under my two most skilled swordsmen, you can." Bonnie picked up the other sword and handed it to him. "Take this broadsword, hero."

Sawyer felt like melting because of Bonnie's sweet smile. He could feel his cheeks burning up. Grasping the handle in his left hand, Sawyer experimented with the weight of the two weapons. A person's strength can be boosted marginally by adrenaline, but now that he was at peace, the Truthsayer and Flamberge's combined weight felt really heavy.

"I'm sorry but these two will only slow me down."

"I bet these will help." For the second time, Bonnie reached for his hands again and held out his wrists. This time, she guided the two swords in entering both of his sleeves. Sawyer was about to protest when suddenly, both weapons were hidden beneath his sleeves.

"What? How? I don't even...feel any of the swords inside!"

"Pocket dimension, not the wishywashy nonsense magic kind though. That was made with the power of Science. Try flicking your wrist, but be careful not to cut yourself."

Sawyer did as she said and was surprised to see the two blades emerged quickly. He only managed the grasp the longsword while the short broadsword clanged loudly on the floor. He leaned and picked up the fallen weapon.

"I don't even know what to say. You're so amazing!" He placed a hurried kiss on the Princess' right cheek. They both became flustered. "Uh...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

The Princess smiled and caressed the cheek where he kissed her. "That's perfectly fine, Say. If I may ask, what do you plan to do for the rest or the day while I have a room prepared for you?"

Sawyer racked his brain, still ashamed of his stunt. "If it is okay with you, I'd like to explore your kingdom. I kinda never had the chance to really take a great look on my first time outside."

"Alright. Just be careful."

Sawyer nodded as he picked up his knapsack. Sadly, it was still his torn and old knapsack, no modifications whatsoever. The same goes for his sneakers, still worn and torn in places. He thought that maybe he ought to ask the Princess sometime for a new storage pack and footwear. Shrugging at the thought, Sawyer slid inside the heavy Enchiridion, praying to God that his knapsack will hold the weight. Curiously, the stun baton he acquired years ago remained intact inside.

"Bonnie? I think you should take a look at this. It's a stun baton, a weapon from around my time. I don't know if it survived my slumber though."

He placed the cold and sinister-looking retractable stick on Bonnie's outstretched palm. "This looks interesting indeed. I was gonna ask you for this thing, but I was afraid you might want to hold on to it."

"No, you should keep it. I...don't really have any nice memories with that stick."

The Princess nodded gingerly. "Thanks. I'll run tests on this in my lab."

"Well, I'll be back before sundown, Bonnie."

"Be careful and take it easy, alright?"

With one last nod, Sawyer paced himself out of the hospital.

~~o~~

Apparently, almost everything in the kingdom was made of candy. The houses, streetlights, billboards, and most certainly, the people inhabiting the place. From where he stood, at the top of the bell tower, the dying light of the day illuminated the whole kingdom. He can't believe he actually made it through the years and escape the living nightmare of the old, crap world.

_I'm sorry I wasn't able to bring someone with me._

He reached inside the pocket of his new hoodie and pulled out a library card. The Princess ordered a little dude made of peppermint to force Sawyer to register himself at the facility, saying he will be needing to borrow some books in there for his studies under her. The librarian, Turtle Princess, was very kind in accommodating him. She seemed very excited to have him as her newest customer, immediately reserving books that he might find interesting to read sometime.

_That one tiny book really interested me the most. It seemed familiar. _He pocketed the library card again.

Out of nowhere, a flock of normal looking bird flew near the tower. Normal-looking sparrows, until one of them suddenly spoke in his language. "Hey, Bert, look over there. Is that a human?"

The other bird's reply was drowned out by the wind. Sawyer was taken aback. _A talking bird? Just what happened during those times I was sleeping? Oh yeah...the world changed. For the better, by the looks of it. I guess this is my chance to atone for my sins. _

He took out a wanted poster from his other pocket. It depicted Finn, Jake, the Princess of Flames, and his brother. These pictures are probably all over the kingdom by that time. Sawyer felt a bit giddy on what could happen in the future.

_I'll serve this new world with everything I've got._

"I'll sacrifice with everything I have..."

_Then I'll get back up and do it again._

Sawyer stifled a cough.

~~o~~

Hoped you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Hey, the story just hit 2,152 views! Wow! Thanks for the time dudes!

The Nephilim King Michael: Thanks, dude! I swear I'll make things more epic in the future chapters! I sure hope those authors have the same opinion as yours. Haha.

Ooobserver: Thanks for all the reviews dude. I'm sorry I can't review every chapter of Citadel of Truth... I'm glad you find my story unpredictable. Although, I should ask you to please remind me if my chapters are getting too sidetracked with unnecessary things.

nrbuer: I'll keep waving the flag of Flinn shipping, for that you can count on me!

Hey dudes, from now on, Ooobserver's fantastic and splendid and awesome and all-other-nice-adjectives-I-missed Citadel of Truth and Archives of Ooo are both required readings now for The Line That Divides.

Curiously enough, the previous chapter seemed to have garnered more views than normal. So, some of you might have questions on just what the heck is the Imatari. It literally means "to imitate" in Latin. The validity of which I can't 100% confirm yet. As for what it looks in its "Dormant State", you only have to look at the logo/title of Adventure Time.

Finn - 1000 Years Back

Ice Prince - Tales of the Alternate Universe (Man, I miss SCIK)

Sawyer - three guesses. Haha. (Technically, he's from TAU too.)

Get ready for the next chapter, the one I'm so nervous about and by-far my biggest challenge for this story yet. I suggest you read (and reread) the first two or three chapters of Tales of the Alternate Universe by SCIK1012! That's all and have a nice day! Please read and review!


	16. Chapter 16

I do not own Adventure Time. Man, Miss SCIK reviewing this story and marking it as her favorite is so awesome! I hope I met her expectation! Oh yeah, the title belongs to Silverstein.

~~o~~

Chapter 15 - Forget Your Heart

"Dang it, Flanna! Look what you did to me!"

No matter how he press down his blue robes on his long chest wound and the gaping hole in his left shoulder, the blood kept escaping his frail body. The long gash in particular, hurt the most because of the searing pain from the burns. Ice Prince found this unacceptable.

_I was trying to help, okay? Don't you go blaming me._

"You always want things to be your way! I won't have it! At least Flame Princess tries to listen to me." Ice Prince nearly crashed into his bedroom mirror as he flew through the window. The cold atmosphere of his lair immediately soothed the burning sensations emanating from his wounds.

_Oh, so now you're comparing me to that incomplete copy? She's nothing but a body, a vessel, but she lacked the one thing you really need. I am her memory. I am the memory of Flanna Hacksworth. I am Flanna Hacksworth!_

Ice Prince closed his eyes and was shocked to see Flanna's face inches from his. Her hands carefully pushed down his metallic hand that held the Demon Blood Sword. He winced from the pain shooting up from his wounds.

"I can make all this pain go away."

The smile Flanna gave him sound so reassuring that he let his head lean on her shoulder. He was getting weak so fast that even the vivid image of his lady turned blurry. The edges softened, her words steadily became muffled, and her touches barely registered in his numbing skin.

"Look at me, Finn."

Ice Prince tried his best to look at her green eyes, even weakly reaching for her red locks of hair. Tears flowed freely from his cheek that became ice droplets before hitting the floor, promptly shattering upon impact. "I'm...losing you again, Flanna. I don't think I can bear losing you again..."

The red-headed lady leaned and kissed him full in the lips. Ice Prince barely managed to return the kiss, slowly feeling the warmth from Flanna's lips. Suddenly, she ripped his bloody robes and roamed her fingers across his bare chest. He was about to protest from the incoming pain when suddenly, Ice Prince felt every inch of skin that she touched felt pleasant and relaxed. The wounds closed, the burns healed, and even the physical fatigue faded a bit.

Flanna pulled away and locked eyes with him. "How are you feeling now?"

"I felt fine...but how? How did you do this?" His senses became normal again, finally seeing Flanna properly. She was more vivid than ever. He could already single out every strand of her red hair.

"This is just to prove that what I'm telling you is true, and that I'm not a figment of your imagination."

He was taken aback. Ice Prince was certain he had always believe in the girl, no matter how absurd the idea of having a separate person in his mind sounds.

"You can't keep anything from me. Deep down in your mind, there're some lingering doubts."

"I'm sorry, but you can't fault me for that. I had let an entity invade my mind for hundreds of years and look what it had done to me, what it had done to _you."_ Flashes of Flanna's last moments in the blizzard surfaced, the very moments where he first turned into an Ice Prince. "You just can't expect me to let another entity gate-crash into my mind again."

Ice Prince pulled out the three rubies that once belonged to the Crown. The moment the demon halfling fled with these in tow, he felt more sane in a way. That was when Flanna's memories became prominent in his mind. That was the moment that the Crown fused with his metallic arm and the three slots for the rubies was instead filled with green gems. He was surprised that the rubies came back a moment later, homing on his new golden arm. The emeralds repelled the rubies easily, denying their rightful place. The whispers then ceased, the rubies' resident silencing himself.

"You could have shunned me away, but you chose me instead of that oldbag in that thing. Finn, I need you to trust me. I can bring back your memories, I can be with you in the physical world. All I need is your absolute trust, let me open your Vault. Just a little."

"But you'll just freeze the world! I can't let that happen!"

"I was just kidding you before, okay? Trust me."

Ice Prince contemplated her offer. He vowed to do everything just to be with Flanna, the real Flanna. "Alright. I believe in you."

"Let's have a deal, then."

"What deal?"

"Everytime you do as I say, I will unlock bits of your memories. You want to go back to being as Finn Mertens, right?"

Ice Prince was yet again faced by uncertainty. Grod knows how he hate uncertainties. But this time, Flanna proved herself as the real deal by healing him. Although he might not be sure if healing was just another of his abilities as an Ice Wizard.

"You can't heal yourself, okay? That was all me."

"Prove to me one last time, and we'll talk. Bring back one significant memory of Finn Mertens and Flanna Hacksworth. After that, I'll do everything as you say."

Flanna broke into a wide smile. Everytime she does that, her face seemed to radiate kindness and pure compassion for him. Like somehow, that single gesture told him everything she felt for him; her love, pity, respect, care, and understanding.

"Open your eyes and get back to the real world. Get some rest and let me do the rest."

"Okay."

"I love you, Mertens. I swear you won't regret this."

It took him a second to reply at that. "I love you too, Hacksworth."

They exchanged one last kiss for the time being and Ice Prince opened his eyes. Flanna disappeared and he found himself standing alone in his ice lair. He checked all his wounds and there weren't any. His blue skin felt smooth and cool to touch, not even a scar was spared from Flanna's healing ability.

"Thank you."

_You're welcome! Now go get some sleep._

He obliged and sat on his bed. Jake, the penguin, instantly landed on his lap. "Wenk!"

"I miss you too, Jake! Now go down the kitchens, tell the others I'm home, and go prepare me some meal. Is that understood?"

"Wenk!" The little penguin hopped off him and waddled towards his destination.

_I hate that penguin... Now, go to sleep._

Ice Prince removed his bear hat and plopped down on his pillow, trying to relax himself. His aching muscles was soothed by the naturally cold bed, his bones popping much to his contentment. It took him a few minutes to drift off to sleep, his worries about the hooded boy and the bear hat boy impending him from doing so.

~~o~~

_"I'm always getting detention because of her! Yesterday she was attacked by the Robinsons' dog and she tried to use me as a shield, then I said that she was nuts and she yelled at me! And Miss Bonnie punished us! And we fought again! And she punched my nose, and smacked my hand with a ruler!"_

_That voice...is that me?_

_We have to go further, Finn._

An explosion of colors clouded his mind. If it was a dream, it sure felt real.

_"It ain't my fault Miss!" Finn Mertens answered. He was a twelve-year old boy with a white bear hat, tattered blue pants and a long sleeved-cyan shirt. A brown sash buttoned onto his pants helped him to keep them in their place. "Flanna's always mocking me!"_

_"That's because you always treat me like a piece of garbage!" Flanna Hacksworth cried in response. She was the same age as Finn; she was wearing an orange T-shirt and a brown vest. Her blue jeans were ripped on her left leg, letting her scraped and dirty knee uncovered, and her bright red hair was tied into a long braid at the level of her waist._

_That was me alright, I guess. The girl was you?_

_Further, Finn. Let's hurry! I can't hold The Vault open for too long, and I have to merge my memories with your memories._

Another explosion erupted from somewhere. The sound of heavy double-doors opening greeted him to their destination.

~~o~~

"Alright, kids! Enjoy your lunch break!"

Finn Mertens was in a good mood. Nothing like pulling at Flanna Hacksworth's hair can send him to bliss. Those nice, silky, red-locks..._Get a grip, Finn! You hate her, there's no business for you to like her hair! That's sick!_

"See yah later, Miss Bonnie!"

The teacher smiled at him. "Behave yourself, Finn. I don't want you getting into trouble again with Flanna!"

He frowned. "Of course, Miss Bonnie."

Finn excused himself and got outside of the classroom and into the sunlit schoolyard. It was a nice time to stretch his aching back after a long lesson about States of Matter - the solid, liquid, and gas. There were other two lesser known states that he only recently learned that morning, but quickly escaped his tired mind.

"Something about, Bose? Whatevs."

He casually walked farther into the schoolyard, enjoying the clear skies as he did. The grass tickled his bare feet as he went to his favorite spot to have his lunch, a large tree of unknown kind that sprouted on the yard sometime years ago. Well, Miss Bonnie already explained them what kind of tree it is but it always escaped his mind. Finn chuckled at the memory of him chasing Flanna up the tree with a dead frog six years ago. They were just six year olds by then, but they were already at odds.

_"Flanna, how the heck did ya get up there?!" A six-year old Finn shouted in annoyance._

_A young Flanna Hacksworth of the same age was weeping desperately as she tried to keep herself on a small tree's branch._

_"I climbed, you donk!" The girl replied in between sobs._

_"Get down here, dump-head! Miss Bonnie is going to get mad if you fall and break your leg! W-why would you even climb that tree in the first place?!"_

_"This is all your stupid fault! Why did you have to chase me with that ugly frog?!" Flanna cried._

_"My fault?! Is not my fault that you're so coward! Who's afraid of a dead toad anyway?! Get down here, fool!"_

_"I am and I can't! I'm stuck!" young Flanna cried._

_"Then let yourself go! I'll catch you!" Finn yelled as he stretched his short arms upwards._

_"No! I don't trust you! You will let me hit the ground!"_

_"I won't, I swear! Just let yourself go! Let yourself go, Flanna!"_

_"Fine! I will do it!" _

_The small girl released her grip on the thin branch and landed on top of the young Mertens boy._

_"You see, I got ya!" Finn yelled, "And now your heavy butt is crushing me, get off me!"_

_"That's what you get for chasing me around with a dead toad, you idiot!"_

"Man, that was fun! Although it seemed a bit rude of me too."

He pulled out his egg sandwich, unwrapped it, and took a bite. Finn took his time in chewing his lunch, for they were always given an hour-long lunch break. Some of his blonde hair escaped his bear hat and as the warm autumn wind blew, they swayed with it. The leaves of the tree danced with the wind as if trying to join the latter, and the grassfield dipped down as if bowing to a greater force. Finn admired the effect, even the shrill sounds of his classmates playing in the distance calmed him.

"This is sure a nice day. Cecile's doing fine, Lorraine layed a lot of eggs, Mom's in a good mood and Flanna's not around to bother me!"

He finished his lunch and pulled out his wooden flute. His new backpack was a lot smaller than his old one, so his flute always stuck out. Ever since he learned to play it a couple of years ago, Finn always tried to string together notes whenever he have the time.

A rustle behind snapped him back to his senses. "Ugh! You're awful, Mertens! Stop that."

"Flanna?"

"Who else, dum-dum?"

"You're spying on me? What the heck, Flanna?!"

"So what if I am?"

"Scram! Go flaunt that freckly face somewhere! Anywhere but here, nosy little-"

Finn heard hurried footsteps as Flanna went to stand in front of him. "That's not he right way to treat a girl! How many times Miss Bonnie told you that, you knob-head?"

"Well...I-" Flanna's flushed face was inches from him, their breaths mingling with one another. Her face was bathed with the usual red glow because of her hair being struck by light. "Look, I'm sorry, but you're annoying me!"

Flanna pouted her lips and smiled deviously. "Like now!"

Finn wasn't able stop the red-haired girl from snatching away his flute. Flanna danced away from his reach as he tried to get up fast. "You soul-less ginger! Get back here!"

"Catch me if you can, you sissy butt-face!"

Finn broke into a furious run after the red-haired girl. He could see her carefully braided red hair shining in the distance, the sun glinting off the strands and giving her hair the illusion of swaying flames. Finn could hear the usual jeers and cheers from their classmates, apparently excited to see what are they up to again.

"No, no, no, no, no, no! Don't go there, Hacksworth!"

Too late. Flanna jumped over the Robinsons' fence, where the large dog, Crunch, permanently set as his territory. Finn reached the fence in time to see Flanna mock him with his flute, blowing it to produce discordant tunes. He cringed at the thought of Flanna's spit on his wind instrument.

"Give it back, Flanna! Let's get out of here! Miss Bonnie warned us from breaking into Mr. Robinson's property!"

"You're such a wuss! You're not afraid of that dog, are you?"

He held out his fist indignantly. "I'm not afraid of no dog!"

"Then prove it to me! Jump over that fence and get your flute!"

On that moment, he really want to punch out the girl's teeth. Sweat dribbled from his chin as he tensed in anticipation of the dog. With a burst of courage, he jumped over the white fence and landed on the well-trimmed lawn of the Robinsons. Finn took a step towards the Hacksworth girl, who took a step backwards.

"It's right over here, Mertens!"

At that moment, a deep and low growl erupted behind Flanna. In her flight of fancy, she failed to notice that she already alerted Crunch into frenzy. The red-haired girl just managed to turn around before the brown mutt lunged at her. The two tumbled to the ground, displacing dust and little bits of rock. To Finn's horror, the dog managed to chomp on Flanna's left leg.

Flanna screamed in fright, spurring Finn into action. He swooped down on the dog and whacked him on the head repeatedly with his fist. The dog showed no sign of letting go even after all the strikes.

"Do something, Mertens!"

"Shut up!"

Finn decided to poke the dog in the eye, making it yelp in pain and pull away. He immediately helped the red-haired girl to her feet and pulled her into a run towards the fence. They were only a few feet from the wooden structure when the dog barked and started to go after them again. Flanna positioned herself behind Finn and used him as a human shield.

"What the- "

Finn barely protected himself as they both tumbled over the fence and out of the property. The dog kept barking at them so they broke into a run to put some distance. In a few moments, they were back at the base of the tree, chests heaving in exhaustion. When he finally regained his normal breathing, Finn snatched back his flute from Flanna's hand.

"Are you NUTS?! It's all your fault, Hacksworth! And you're going to tell that Miss Bonnie!" The red-haired girl did not replied, but looked at her with frightful eyes. Finn could see her green eyes well up with tears. "Don't think you can fool me with those tears!"

Flanna angrily burst towards Finn and slapped her across his left cheek. "I hate you!"

Finn cupped his sore cheek. "Well, excuse me, but I hate you too!"

"You're always mean to me!"

"I could say the same for you!"

"Inconsiderate slug!"

Finn reeled back, expecting another slap. "Crazy carrot-top!"

Flanna aimed a punch at his face but Finn backed away in time to avoid it. They stared at each other, eyes glaring poisonous daggers. He strode closer and raised the flute as if to hit her. "Look! You put dents on this hole! It will never sound the same again..."

"It's just a stupid flute!"

Finn was about to berate the girl again but Miss Bonnibel appeared out of nowhere and pushed them apart each other. He was struck by sudden realization on what will happen now that they were caught fighting again. Finn always despised disappointing his teacher, and it was all Flanna's fault.

"Miss Flanna Hacksworth! What happened to your knee? And look at that hole in your pants! What were you two thinking by trespassing on Mr. Robinson's property?"

Finn was confused at first on how Miss Bonnibel found out about that information, until Remy, one of their classmates, winked at him. "It's her fault, Miss! I have to go over the fence because she took my flute and run off to Mr. Robin-"

"I never forced you to come with me!"

"Yes, you did!"

"No, I didn't!"

Finn stole a glance at Miss Bonnie and immediately felt guilty. She was pinching the bridge of her nose and appeared to be tired of them fighting again. They became silent as they waited for what would be Miss Bonnie's next action.

"You two, I want you to stand in the corners of the classroom for the rest of the day. You're both getting out of hand lately and it seemed I have been too soft with you." Miss Bonnibel shook her head in disappointment. "Boys and girls should treat each other with care and respect."

His teacher did not looked angry. Just sad, the very reaction Finn feared for her to have. He can't bear making her sad. Sweet and kind and pretty individuals like her does not have any business being sad.

"I'm sorry, Miss Bonnibel." Finn shot a glare at Flanna, who returned the same gesture.

They spent the rest of the walk towards their classroom in silence. Finn was boiling in anger inside for the red-haired girl beside Miss Bonnibel. Now, he would be punished because of things he never caused. _This is so unfair._

"I want you two to stand in the opposite corners. And no talking! I won't tell these to your parents if you managed to stay behaved for the rest of the class."

They both nodded in unison. Finn saw some of their classmates snickering in delight. To them, he and Flanna were just afternoon comedic duo. Finn wanted to shove his fist up their mouths to silence them. Time crawled slowly. Finn already felt stiff for just the first hour and a half and the class still have another hour before Miss Bonnibel rings the dismissal bell. He glanced at Flanna at the other side of the room.

The red-haired girl stuck out her tongue at him. Finn found her a bit cute alright. The steadily dimming afternoon sunlight highlighted the deeper red undertones in her hair. He wondered how her braid managed to remain in place after all they've been doing earlier, and even the two clumps of hair that framed her face made Flanna more attractive. Finn shook his head, and noticed her bright green eyes. It was like staring into some passage that leads to lustrous grasslands, an entrance to another world..._What the heck are you thinking?_

"Psst! Mertens!"

The room was narrow enough and they were just separated by a few feet, making shouted whispers audible. Finn whispered back. "Shut up, Hacksworth! You'll get us to trouble again!"

"Ha! You're afraid of Miss Bonnibel? What a sissy."

Finn held back a retort, but was agitated when he saw Flanna slowly inching herself closer to him. "Flanna! No! Don't do this! I don't want any more trouble!"

"Finn, Flanna, I said no talking, please."

Finn nodded in apology and looked back to see the red-haired girl just within arm's reach. Miss Bonnibel did not seemed to have noticed though. "What are you doing, ginger head?"

"I came here just to say...I hate you, butt-face!"

"Wow, I'm so shocked! That's news, alright."

""You meanie! I know you always pulled my hair just so you could touch it. You're creepy, Mertens!"

"What the heck's wrong with you?" Finn blushed furiously at her insinuations.

"You're what's wrong with me! You always get me in trouble! My dad won't be happy."

"I hope he spank you good!"

Miss Bonnibel noticed them arguing again, her face steadily becoming sad for the umpteenth time that afternoon. "Mertens! Hacksworth! I swear, this is your last warning! I already told you earlier that boys and girls should treat each other with care and respect!"

"I'm sorry, Miss Bonnibel." They both replied at the same time again.

After the teacher looked away, Flanna punched his arm. Finn wished he had paid more attention, because it hurt. The red-haired girl sure knew how to throw a punch. Finn finally lost patience as the school bell rang and raised his voice. "Is this how you're going to pay me after I saved you from that dog?! I hate you, Hacksworth and I want you to leave me alone, you donk!"

Flanna was visibly hurt, but she came up with a lashing of her own. "I'm just being even with you for all the times you did me wrong!"

"Soul-less ginger!"

"Sissy butt-face!"

They strode closer to one another with the intention of dealing some pain but Miss Bonnibel intervened.

"Finn Mertens! Flanna Hacksworth!" His teacher called firmly, snapping Finn out of his blinded anger somewhat. "I was expecting more of you! Didn't I say a couple of minutes ago that boys and girls should treat each other with care and respect?"

"It ain't my fault Miss!" Finn quickly answered in his defense. "Flanna's always mocking me!"

"That's because you always treat me like a piece of garbage!" Flanna Hacksworth cried in response and took a step forward, further exposing her ripped blue jeans and scraped knee.

"That's not true! I don't even like to talk to her!" Finn waved his hands around in frustration.

"You see Miss? He just said that he doesn't like me!" The green-eyed girl yelled back.

"Enough!" Miss Bonnibel said. She grabbed their hands and forced them to stare at each other, the two kids frowned and stuck out their tongues in disgust. "Kids… you can't keep living like this. You're both classmates and you are gonna keep seeing each other everyday, wouldn't it be nicer if you treated each other as friends instead of enemies?"

"Well, it would…" Finn sighed, causing his teacher to smile "If Flanna wasn't so nosy!"

"And if you weren't so stupid!" Flanna's shrill voice irritated Finn to no ends as she yelled, lunging her body over him to punch his nose.

"Finn! Flanna! No!" Bonnibel cried in exasperation.

Both of them rolled on the floor, pulling each other's hair and scratching their faces. Finn used his knee to push Flanna away, but she somehow managed to grab one of his arms and bit it with all her strength while their distressed teacher fought to pull them apart.

"Boys are not supposed to hurt girls!" Miss Bonnibel yelled, struggling to hold Finn's fist away from Flanna's face "And girls are not supposed to attack boys!"

The red-haired girl pushed herself angrily towards Finn, making him hit his head against Bonnibel's desk. All her items fell over them, including a wooden ruler and a black pen. Flanna grabbed the ruler without hesitation and used it to smack Finn's hands.

"Auw! You pesky freckly!" Annoyed, he grunted after blowing his aching knuckles. His blue eyes spotted the black pen and he quickly snatched it to use it against her. "Let me make your face uglier!"

Finn was so enraged, that he didn't even care to think on the consequences of his following act. He sprung towards Flanna and stretched his arm to stab her right cheek with the tip of the pen. The green-eyed girl shrieked in pain as she stepped backwards, covering her hurt cheek with her hand.

Flanna shuddered a little and glanced at her hand, she flinched at the sight of her own blood and glared back at Finn with watery eyes. "You're a freak and I hate you!"

"Flanna!" Miss Bonnibel shouted, running towards her, but the girl simply reeled herself back and hopped through an open window "Flanna, come back here!"

Finn lay on the floor, sticking his tongue out at the already gone girl. However, a saddened sigh from his teacher made him change his facial expression. Bonnibel looked back at him with disappointment. Being close to the lady, Finn clearly saw the tiredness in her eyes. He didn't like to see her like that. Miss Bonnibel was a beautiful woman with blonde curled hair and pink cheekbones; she was known for being always nice and kind to everybody. _She doesn't deserved this..._

Every kid was happy around her and he, well, he once thought he had a crush on her. Finn loved how easy it was to make his teacher smile and how hard it was to make her angry, but this was the first time he had ever seen her this sad, and he didn't like it.

"Finn…" His teacher whispered, crouching down by his side "Your mother must have raised you better than this…"

Her words stung him deeply.

"It's hard to believe that a kind-hearted boy like you could have hurt a girl…" Bonnibel moved closer to him. "You could have pocked out her eye with that pen!"

"But…! Miss…! Flanna hurt me first!" Finn eagerly rebuked.

"I'm aware of what she did and believe me, her father will know about this." The teacher stated in an almost harsh manner. "But you shouldn't have hurt her back, you should've tried to calm her down…! I-I… I don't understand what's wrong with the two of you…! Why do you hate each other so much?"

Finn turned his face away and frowned.

"Won't you tell me, Finn?"

"I don't like her, that's all!" Finn yelled, facing his teacher again, but muttered the last bit. "I've tried to be good with her, but she keeps bothering me all the time! Maybe she's evil or something…"

"Evil?" Miss Bonnibel tilted her head in confusion. Finn could probably enumerate all the times that Flanna acted evil around him. _But I acted around her like that too. Are we both...evil?_

"Finn she is not evil! Have you ever tried to ask her why she's so bothered around you?"

"No…" Truthfully, he did. But Flanna never gave straight answers, opting to continue with her devious acts. _I don't think I pressed her enough for answers though. _

"You see? Finn, you should try to seek what's her problem with you and work it out." The teacher smiled. "Give her a chance…!"

"Mmmm…" Finn crossed his arms and stared at the ground. He sure have second thoughts with what his teacher was implying - being friends with Flanna. "I don't think so!"

"Finn!"

"No, miss! I don't wanna! I hate her!" Finn shouted, getting on his feet. "I'm going home, now!"

"Of course you're going home!" Miss Bonnibel grasped his shoulder and lightly pulled at the knob on his bear hat. "...With me! Your mother and I have a lot to talk about!"

Finn flinched, not his mother. He could take his teacher's look of disappointment, but not his mother's; she worked hard the whole day, expecting him to return home and brighten up her day. She didn't need to hear any of this. It would make her sad…

"Miss Bonnibel please, I beg you…"

"I'm sorry Finn, not this time."

A loud bang broke the silence and some force made a rend on the space. The sound of heavy double-doors opening brought the Ice Prince back to his senses, finally snapping him apart from the young Finn. It was now like watching from afar.

_I can't keep The Vault open for too long, Finn! That's all I can do for now._

He opened his eyes. Ice Prince felt elated, but also sad. It was like drinking something sweet with a bitter aftertaste. For a long time, he was Finn again - the farmboy facing the innocence of youth. He relished in every moment of the memory, only to be pulled back hard into reality. Ice Prince have something to be happy though. That memory led to a lot more memories of Finn Mertens.

"So this is how you feel when slowly regaining your identity?"

_I can tell you're not really satisfied. I swear we'll bring back all your memories._

Ice Prince smiled. "So we started out hating each other?"

_That was just some petty childhood things. Deep down, we did loved each other all along._

"Oh..so, about the deal...what exactly do you want me to do?"

_I need you to find Flame Princess and bring her back. I need my body to be Flanna Hacksworth on the real world, okay?_

Ice Prince took a momentarily pause. That did not sounded right in all manners and respect. "What will happen to her though?"

_C'mon...we're the same person. She's Flanna without my memories, and I'm Flanna without her body. _

"Alright...I guess. Is that all?"

_No. I also want you to make that Princess Bubblegum suffer!_

"What? Why?" Ice Prince can't find it in his heart to attack the Candy Kingdom again. Now, more so because of Finn Mertens emerging within him.

_Forget your heart! It's weighing you down inside as you confide your life to someone else. This is what you get for hanging out with Flame Princess - weakness. You don't even know half of what that Bubblegum did to her!_

"I'm listening..."

_Yes. From now on, I will only be the one you're going to listen to. All you really have is me, Finn Mertens._

"Flanna."

Ice Prince closed his eyes and stared right into Flanna's. It was like the deep blue sea meeting the vast green grasslands, the cold succumbing to heat, and Ice Prince slowly giving way to...

"Finn... I am Finn Mertens."

The rubies in his closed palm turned a little lighter shade of red, some of the color dispersing in a wisp of once potent magic. He watched in dazed fascination as the wisp was engulfed by the emeralds on his mechanical arm, the golden plating humming for some reason.

_Tomorrow, we'll get Flame Princess...and I know where we could find her._

~~o~~

'Betty' sure was an amazing episode, and it made up for the lacklustre previous episode alright. It seemed a bit too fast paced though, and it also failed to reach the emotional heights of 'I Remember You' and 'Simon & Marcy'. One thing in common between those two episodes is the MUSIC. Given the situation demands quickness, it wouldn't have hurt if there was just a song to go by Betty and Simon's dynamics. It's a missed opportunity, I guess.

The Nephilim King Michael: Glad you liked the three sides of this story, dude! And yeah, you better watch out for the Truthsayer! It will be plot significant soon, I think. I'm still not so sure about the ending I've made but I hope all of you will be there when the last chapter hits!

Ooobserver: Haha, the least popular plot arc (based on views) was Sawyer's story during the early post-apocalypse but I really dig its atmosphere that I decided to do just one more. I'm delighted you found Bonnie creepy, I guess. That was what I was aiming for. Sawyer has the psychological side of the story, Finn - the fun side, and Ice Prince for the romancy but crazy stuff.

SCIK1012: Hey there too, I'm fine. How about you?

Wow! I don't know where to start! I'm really really really really happy that you found this story good! Thanks for the praise for Sawyer, I worked hard to distinguish him from his counter-part in your Amaranth. And...Stephen King? Gee, thanks! I wished I was really that good, though! I hope I met your expectation on this chapter...I really wanted to recreate the vibe and feel of your fantastic TAU. Did I nailed it, Miss SCIK?

Thanks for all the reviews!

Oh yeah, I was thinking if anyone is interested in making a cover for this story. If you are, please pm me for details.

_~ Glaring error, fixed. I can't believe I actually over-looked something that important! Yeah, his mechanical arm came LATER, not before. Thanks for pointing out, dudes! ~_


	17. Chapter 17

I wonder when's the next Adventure Time episode? Oh. I do not own Adventure Time.

~~o~~

Samuel the Langhorn was never really a rational person on a normal basis, but when things do get serious, he does reminds himself of his limitations. As an example, Samuel could never win in a push-fight against a minotaur while trying his best to block the sword strikes with the crimson kite shield slung on his back. He ducked on instinct as he heard the whizzing sound of metal going almost as fast as the speed of sound. The blade caught the minotaur square in the face, separating his upper jaw from the lower one and spraying him with blood. The foul fiend toppled over and writhed in pain.

"Yeesh! You're one disgusting bloke!"

Samuel faced one of the last thirty or so remaining followers of the Lich, a shadowy wraith garbed in white suit of armor. The swordsman's tattered sword have long since broke down on his twenty sixth enemy. During the crazy simultaneous battling with the fiends, he had used numerous types of weaponry. But alas, none made it farther than he hoped. The Demon Blood Shield served its purpose well, and can be even used to bash some skulls when the need arise. The thick build of the kite shield belied its weight, barely registering on his expert hands.

_The only drawback is that I have to strike down real hard with it to do some respectable damage._

"Niyatapap atik!"

Samuel tried shoving the crimson shield up the gaping skeletal jaw of the wraith, but his attack went through akin to hitting thin air. His adversary took the moment to continue babbling nonsense and swing its claymore, hitting him on his exposed left side and crushing the chainmail made of horns. Samuel grunted in pain as the air in his lungs was violently ripped away from him.

He smiled. _I was never pushed to my limits like this before._

The wraith was going to repeat the same action when Samuel finally managed to block the humongous sword with the kite shield. The impact made a deep humming sound from the vibrating shield. It was almost enough to send him down to the ground.

"Not again, Mister."

Samuel kicked the wraith, catching it off guard as he maintained a grip on the claymore's blade, drawing blood. The swordsman immediately grabbed the handle of the sword and raised it high above his head, before crashing it back down on the stunned enemy. The force alone, crushed the white breastplate and released the wraith possessing the suit of armor. Without an anchor to the world, the wraith 'died' in a brilliant spark of electric blue light.

A loud roar alerted him of the presence of probably the strongest creature held in the Citadel aside from the Lich, a 40-storey dragon of deep maroon color. Its two horns were as big as Samuel himself. Letting out a whistle, he ducked down behind a slow-moving rock golem to escape the raging black fires erupting from the dragon's snout. Several of the other fiends got caught in the infernal flames, relieving Samuel some of the work. The golem, in turn, melted into a mass of pooling lava.

"Impressive, dearest human. You certainly remind me of that kid I met sometime ago. Come to think of it, you kinda looked the same too!"

Samuel followed the source of the voice but found nothing. The Lich stood a few meters away from him. Ever since he started decimating the army, the Lich just stood at his spot - unmoving and unyielding, but wore an air of superiority and delirium. _No, the voice was different. Irritating as heck too. Don't tell me that dragon can talk?_

"Show yourself, coward."

"Okay." A voice likened to sandpaper on wood erupted behind him. "Here I am, dearie."

Samuel turned around just in time to see a bipedal goat with snapped horns disappear into thin air, the unblinking and emotionless eyes lingering longer. The creature reappeared beside him, which he took as a chance to swing the massive claymore. The goat was hit directly in the shoulder, shattering bone and tissues. Black blood squirted like a fountain from the destroyed body part.

"How did -?"

The creature bared its sharp rows of teeth, trying to be intimidating as it topple over in defeat. Samuel decided to finish the deed by impaling the abomination into the crystal floor with the sword, and repeatedly bashed the its head with the kite shield until it caved in. He backflipped out of the way as a small wyvern fired a green laser in his direction, hitting the thrashing maroon dragon instead.

"Nice try!"

Samuel did a running start and grabbed a hold on the stunned wyvern, immediately hoisting himself on its back as they spiral in the air. Gripping the claymore and slinging the Demon Blood Shield on his back, the swordsman willed the winged creature to get closer to the larger, winged abomination. Gold and silver spikes as large as pine trees lined its back, going shorter and shorter in length towards the tail, which ended on a spiked mace-like protrusion.

"One thing I know about dragons is that their only weak spots are the skin directly beneath jaw and their eyes."

An arrow grazed his left upper arm and oozed a bit of blood. Looking down, Samuel saw a beautiful figure of what seemed to be humanoid woman. Clad only with the strap of her bow, the archer kept firing arrows at him from below. This gave him an idea.

"Alright, Verny! Let's fly closer to that chick!"

The wyvern begrudgingly obliged, apparently bound to serve whoever managed to ride on its back. From what could he recall, this one is called Amaran, named after the legendary flower of some far-flung universe. A few meters away from the enraged woman, the maroon dragon spat a thick wall of fire at their direction. The Amaran wyvern adeptly swerved out of the way as Samuel readied his claymore.

"Good riddance, babe!"

Samuel plunged the claymore at right at the chest of the archer, effectively impaling her. He immediately jumped down from his mount and swiped the bow and the quiver that held the arrows. The wyvern sent green lasers at the dragon, which bounded harmlessly from its enchanted dragonscales. Taking the moment to examine the bow, he quickly loaded an arrow and dropped an advancing skeletal being.

"Ha! Nothing a weapon expert like me can handle!"

Several more of the demons, fiends, criminals and whatnot threatened to overwhelm him. Samuel counted only 4 arrows left in the quiver and used all except one to kill the advancing menace.

"Verny!"

The wyvern heard his call and swooped down to let him climb on its back. Samuel placed the claymore between the gaping jaw of the wyvern as he loaded the last arrow on the bow. The dragon kept thrashing in blind rage, squashing several of his enemies in the process. Taking careful aim at the colossal maroon lizard, Samuel waited at the right moment to shoot at the creature's blue eyes.

"I hope you could see this, Finn."

He let loose an arrow, which plunged itself on the dragon's left eye with a sickening wet sound. Potent dragon blood erupted from the destroyed organ, showering down on the crystal floor. The swordsman-turned-archer took the chance to fly beneath the roaring dragon's snout. He plucked the claymore from the wyvern's jaws and sliced the exposed skin of the dragon, bathing Samuel in blood. The colossal creature, on its death throes, fired a large volley of black fire at their direction. The wyvern was caught directly in the ensuing attack, sending it and its rider down on the ground.

"Dang it!"

He quickly recovered and managed to see the dragon breath its last, all the while sending streams of unholy fire everywhere, incinerating the remaining stragglers of enemies. Looking back at the wyvern, Samuel was disheartened to see the Amaran thrash in agony because of its missing right wing. He took pity and ended the poor creature's suffering by beheading it with his claymore. He let the claymore slip from his hands as he doubled over in exhaustion.

For a whole minute, the only sound that could be heard was the simultaneous combustion of the fallen prisoners. The Citadel never was that empty, now holding just two inhabitants about to do battle.

"Alright Lich, just you and me. Come at me, bro."

_That is correct, Langhorn. Just you and me._

"Heh, your mind tricks won't work against me." Samuel slung the kite shield on his back and retrieved the claymore, wielding it with two hands.

_I know. That is why I decided to just get rid of you altogether. _

Samuel did not replied, he was so enthralled at the embers that swirled from the enemies he had defeated. The brilliant light show ending with the sparks flying in the general direction of the Lich. In mere moments, all the of the dead demons finally disappeared. Curiously, the wraith left its white suit of armor behind.

"Wait, give me a sec."

_Take all the time you need, human._

Samuel nodded and briskly walked towards the fallen equipments. He anticipated surprise attacks from the Lich, but none came. He just stood there with a wicked smile, shooting piercing stares at the swordsman. Samuel donned the white gauntlets and greaves, but discarded the torn breastplate. It was a snug fit.

"Alright, I'm ready."

_Answer me this, do you really believe you could survive what's going to happen next?_

"Of course."

_Do you really think you can stop me from leaving this citadel?_

"I do."

_You must be jesting me, human._

One moment, the Lich was standing there. The next, he was replaced by a gruesome creature of various features - horns, tentacles, spikes, teeth, fangs, claws, name it all. The formless monster was apparently composed of every demon and fiend he had slain earlier, confirming Keeoth's suspicion that the Lich was absorbing every single individual that died in the prison.

_Soon, you will be just a part of me too. Why resist? The strength I could harness from you, a Precursor, would be enough to open the Pristine Corridor and go wherever I find suitable. I could get us out of here, human. I could reunite you with your son, your real son, not an alternate universe counterpart. _

"Yes, yes, that is tempting, but you left out a certain detail."

_What?_

"I volunteered to be here in in the first place, to keep dudes like you from escaping."

The Crystal Citadel, the Multiverse's greatest prison. Virtually inescapable, it had been a perfect holding facility for some of the most dangerous criminals that ever existed. It has just one flaw - the Crystal Citadel also acts secretly as a backdoor that directly lead to The Line That Divides each universe from one another, except that they aren't really lines but corridors.

For the most part, the Lich was truthful to his followers except for the fact that not all could survive the trek through the Pristine Corridors, let alone open one of the doors that lead to other universe. Some went insane with what they saw within, some devoured by unknown inhabitants that roamed it, and others just got lost - doomed to wander the halls for eternity. The dangerous aspect of the Corridors was the reason so few knew of its existence, even among the crowd of fellow Precursors. He could count in his fingers the individuals in the current Cycle who knew of its existence.

_So you're a warden, huh?_

"Yep, and nobody escapes on my watch."

_No matter, even if I couldn't kill you, the accumulated power from these foul creatures would be more than enough to open the Citadel._

The writhing mass of body parts reverted back to its original form, the gigantic built of a dead Nephilim. If Samuel could recall, the dead guy the Lich was wearing was called Bill. He was a hero from across many universe, with almost every incarnation ending up as a vessel for the Lich.

"Enough chit-chat, Lich."

Samuel held the claymore firmly in his blistered hands, feeling the assuring presence of the kite shield on his back. He could feel the Infinity symbol on his right upper arm reacting to the danger he was faced with. Whatever happens at that moment could decide the fate of many universe. _Maybe, just maybe, after this I could finally visit my son. Wish I could remember the right universe though._

A blast of pure energy that erupted from the Lich's palm nearly decimated Samuel, missing him by just a few inches. The Citadel was momentarily lit by the green beam of energy traveling in a straight line. He doubt if even Keeoth's kite shield could take that form of attack, remembering it belonged to the blue wyvern he slew earlier.

"Here goes nothing!"

~~o~~

There was only one way to go for her, one path to follow - revenge. The pretty and pink monarch did not only thought it was fun to toy with his brother's feelings for her, she also deemed it fun to mess with his fragile mind. Braco's hopes were falsely played with, and his already unstable personality easily led to schizophrenia after that evil Princess Bubblegum dumped him.

Vera would have none of that.

She closed her eyes in agony as the current situation of her brother toiled in her brain. Braco was once a man of taste when it comes to clothing, but now he was wearing nothing but white shirt that restricted his movements. He was once a smart person that could play around words like a poet, but now could only mutter the words 'why won't she love me?'.

_Why won't she love me?_

Vera held back the tears forming in her eyes as she briskly walked through the candy streets. The long, hooded cloak concealed her face. It was not very wise of her to reveal her presence just yet.

_Stay out of misery, Vera. It's been two years already. _

She looked up at the sizable plasma screens that dominated every nook and cranny of the Candy Kingdom. Each one displayed faces of supposedly wanted criminals, and any information leading to them should be promptly reported to the authority. The screens then showed how dangerous these individuals are, possessing a variety of powers based on CCTV footages clipped together. _They don't matter, really._

Ever since she set foot on the kingdom a day ago, the citizens never stopped talking about the last human alive found by the Princess. The whispers intensified into sung praises for the young human due to the recent happenings that afternoon. Vera was there for the better part of the battles that took place.

"Sawyer the Human. Pfft. More like Sawyer, the Princess' Pawn."

Vera was sure of it, the Princess would just toy with the boy like how she toyed with her brother. Her real purpose for going to the kingdom was to assassinate the Princess in her sleep. She had trained for that for two painful years under the Guild of Assassins, easily rising through the ranks despite her young age of 17. Vera the Nymph, First Class Assassin, that was her full title.

_...and all of my plans changed the minute I heard of that boy._

It would be very easy to take away Sawyer from the Princess, like swiping a candy from a child; Vera wasn't called the Nymph for no reason. She would toy around the Princess first, she could die later.

"The only problem is I have to find that human first."

Light was fading fast from the skies, bathing everything in deep orange glow. She had to find him fast before he retire to his quarters, or wherever the Princess was keeping him. Her only leads was that Sawyer visited the library a few minutes ago. Vera was about to pass by the bell tower when he caught sight of the boy walking out of the structure, left hand in pocket while the other ruffled his spiky brown hair.

_This would be easy, heh._

Vera pretended to be occupied by something inside her cloak, and purposely collided with the human. The act sent them both to the ground, which Vera took as a chance to discreetly throwback her hood and dramatically expose her long violet tresses.

"Ugh...I'm sorry!" She used her sweetest manner of speaking, easily grabbing the attention of the boy.

"Nah, gal...my fault. I wasn't really paying attention." The human stood up and offered a hand to help Vera to her feet, which she gladly took. She towered over him by a foot.

She smiled shyly at the human, carefully measuring if she was being overboard. "Oh...I'm sorry, really. To think I would bother Sawyer the Human is so...unbecoming of me."

"Wait, you know my name?"

"Of course! You're the talk of the kingdom, silly."

"That's true, I guess...well, it's getting late and I've better get back soon to the Castle."

"Oh, it's alright. Don't let me delay you any further, hero."

The human visibly blushed, easily noticeable even with dim light. "Nice meeting you, Miss...?"

"Vera. I'm Vera Renard. It's nice meeting you too, Sawyer!"

They exchanged a smile and wave each other goodbye as the human made his way towards the Candy Castle. Vera wasn't really sure what to make of the boy. She could clearly see the anguish and pain hiding within his blue eyes, the smiles barely reaching them. Vera could quickly see the eyes of a killer if she saw one, being one of them herself. The boy was already a few meters away from her when she called for him.

"Wait, Sawyer!"

Vera hurriedly covered the distance between them, the human cocking his head in confusion. "What is it, Vera?"

She reached inside her cloak and pulled out a deck of cards. The card sleeves concealed their nature from anyone uninformed. "I know this will be weird but...can you please pick three cards?"

"Alright, I guess...? But what are these cards exactly?"

"I'll tell you next time we meet." Vera winked at the boy and evenly spread the cards in her hands. "Look, just pick three."

Sawyer randomly pulled out three cards, which Vera quickly swiped before he got a chance to see what they held. The boy just grimaced with her antics and lingered for a bit, as if about to ask her what was the deal with that strange request. Vera promised Sawyer that she will tell him what's what in time.

"See yah around...I guess." They exchanged one last goodbye for the time being.

For some reason, Vera felt very nervous with three cards in her right hand. Making sure Sawyer was out of sight, she slowly rotated her hand to reveal the cards. She was never a die hard believer of Tarot Cards, but Vera often consult the three-spread Tarot formation. In the order from left to right, the cards represent the past, present, and future.

"Well...that was spot on."

The first card Sawyer picked, the past, was the Judgement card. It symbolized the rebirth or awakening, and the assessment of what came before. Judgement is a card of drastic change, release, and review. _Well, apparently, he was sleeping for a millennium. His life should have been different now from what he was used to hundreds of years ago._

The second card, the present, was the Queen of Cups, the card that represents someone he could meet or become to be himself. Vera was sure with this one, the Queen of Cups is like a point by point description of Princess Bubblegum. A kind listener, full of sympathy, a wise and mature individual but can be deceitful and manipulative.

_Manipulative? Yes. But kind? Heck no._

Vera's heart skipped beats on the last card, the future. Sawyer, inadvertently picked the Ten of Swords, the card of giving up, self-pity, admitting failure, and quitting. Based on what Vera noticed about the boy, he seemed to be someone who have seen his share of sacrifices and grief. It might take just a few more push to the wrong direction to finally break him down. She smiled, physically and mentally.

_Wow...the cards are actually accurate today. Heh. Although who would rely their life on old pieces of paper anyway? Even the humans of olden times found these as just nonsensical objects._

_They were right about the prophecies of their extinction though._

Carefully rearranging her Tarot cards, Vera hid them back inside her cloak and hastily walked away. She was still bothered about the apparent accuracy of the cards, but chose to remove them from her system. Its no use worrying about the boy, he was just another pawn in the games he was about to play with the pink Princess. _Queen of Cups, huh?_

The sun was nearly down when she reached her destination, a low profile inn where she had her lodgings. The homely place was managed by an elderly couple that seemed to be made of cookies. It would serve as her base of operations for the the moment.

"I'm coming for you, Bubblegum."

~~o~~

Sawyer walked slowly towards the Candy Castle. He was still dazed by the beauty of the lady she met earlier, Vera. Her shocking violet hair left a mark in his mind. The cloak she wore did not hid her slender frame and curves. _And her smile...don't forget the smile. She seemed to be human in every aspect except for the little crystal-like knobs on her pretty head. _

"I've just lived a life of a teenager for a few hours and I already have a crush."

Suddenly, the hood of his jacket emitted a soft beeping sound. Bewildered, Sawyer pulled his hood over his face and tried pressing randomly on different places. When his fingers pressed down somewhere his left ear, Princess Bubblegum's sweet sing-song voice blared from a hidden speaker beneath his hood.

"Hullo! This is Bonnie! Where are you now, Say?"

"Uh...hello? I'm outside the Castle, Princess. Is this some kind of communicator?"

"Yes, it works as a two-way radio for us, Say. All of your hoodies have these communicators. It's cool, right?"

"Yeah, Bonnie. I admit this is surprising. So...what's up?"

Sawyer heard rustling of paper on the other side of the communicator, apparently from the paperworks of the Princess. "I need you to come to my quarters immediately. I have something to show you."

He frowned. Sawyer thought he had the rest of the day for himself. "Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes."

Sawyer quickly broke into a run, dashing through the main entrance of the Candy Castle. In the process, he ignored a lot of greetings from the personnels of the castle. Along the way, Sawyer nearly crashed into a sentient bun that wafted something that smelled sweet.

"Hi! I'm Cinnamon Bun. Who are you?"

"Hello. I'm Sawyer. Look, Cin, I'm kinda in a hurry. See yah later, man."

"Okay!"

Ascending the Grand Staircase, Sawyer practically flew through the candy halls above. Within minutes, he was outside of the Princess' room. Sawyer was about to knock when the door opened for him. He found the candy monarch sitting on the pink chair facing her dresser, her bare back exposed to him.

"Oh, sorry Bonnie! I think I should have knocked first." He was about to go outside the room again when the Princess spoke up, back still turned. She spoke through the mirror that reflected them both.

"No! I just took a shower, I'm afraid I didn't dried myself fast enough." Bonnie twirled her extra towel on her damp pink hair.

"Alright, Bonnie, if you insist. What do you need of me?"

"What did you do this afternoon?" Bonnie shot her a winning smile, which warmed up his cheeks just like the first time he laid his eyes on her.

"Is this an oral report?"

"No, silly! Just a friendly chat."

Sawyer broke into a smile of his own and immediately launched into a series of explanation, keeping everything precise and concise. He noted how Bonnie's expression changed depending on what particular event he had recounted. She was delighted when he showed her his library card, but frowned deeply when Sawyer recounted his chance meeting with Vera. The Princess practically snorted and puffed her chest indignantly when he told her how the girl made him pick three cards. This confused him so much. _What's wrong with that?_

"She's so beautiful, Bonnie. Her hair just looks...magnificent. I mean, how often can you see violet hair?"

"Pink's not impressive enough with you?"

He stopped for a moment. "What are you implying?"

"Nevermind." The Princess' facial expression remained passive for the rest of their conversation. "What I really sent you here is about this."

Sawyer looked closely at what Princess Bubblegum was showing to him. It appeared to be some kind of necklace with a small pink stone. Suddenly, it lit up and projected some kind of holographic map. The green image showed various locations, as well as two dots.

"The blue dot is you, Sawyer, and the red one is the Princess of Flames. I hope you know what this means, right?"

"Yes. You want me to track her down with that map."

The candy monarch nodded and stood up from her chair, the towel wrapped around her slender figure nearly slid off. Sawyer blushed as he glimpsed a bit of her bare mounds in the process. He was about to look away when Bonnie forced him to look at her as she slung the tracker on his neck, tucking the tiny stone inside his hood. Sawyer shivered from the touch of her fingers on his chest.

"Bonnie...I think I should go."

"Why are you in a hurry? I still have something to say."

"Okay."

"Tomorrow, after your ceremony for heroship, I need you to track these individuals and bring them alive."

"But...I did not even started training yet! How could I even possibly do that?"

"Don't worry, think of it as an on-the-job training. It isn't as if you're going alone either. I'll send two of my Elite Licorice Force with you."

"Okay. I trust you, Princess."

"Good. Hey, Say. Are you hungry?"

"Well...yes, Your Highness, to be honest."

Suddenly, Bonnie shouted out loud. "Peppermint Butler?!"

The door opened for a small and round candy person dressed in fancy clothing, recognized by Sawyer from earlier. "Yes, Princess? What do you require?"

"Bring us dinner here. I'm not going down in the dining hall tonight."

"As you wish, Princess."

Sawyer waited for the butler to disappear behind the door before he spoke. "You don't have to do this, Bonnie!"

"Pssh. Just relax. You're not declining a lady's offer, are you?"

He shook his head hurriedly. Princess Bubblegum smiled at him again.

~~o~~

Marceline woke up with a snap. She had just disconnected from Finn's dreamscape, pulling her back to reality. She was hovering over the canopy of trees near to where she plummeted earlier that day. With great haste, the Vampire Queen retrieved her Axe Bass which had fallen during her sleep.

"Alright. I just hope my cave in this universe is easy to spot."

Marceline flew through the night, highly distracted by the varying sounds of the nature below her. Her superior sense made sure she heard every croak of a frog, flapping of bat wings, and footfalls of wild bears prowling in the wilderness.

"Yeah, baby! There it is! My cave!"

Landing gracefully on the entrance of the cave, she quickly covered Jake's mouth who was about to shout with surprise. Marceline whispered at the dog to lower his voice so as not to disturb the two kids sleeping side by side within the cave. Jake nodded and the Vampire Queen let go of the mutt.

"Are you the Marceline from our universe?"

Marceline sighed and immediately launched into a series of explanation based on the one she gave to Finn during their together-dream, essentially leaving out unnecessary parts and other things that Flame Princess should also know. She doesn't want to repeat herself in the morning, not much.

"So...I see you haven't found a way to escape the standstill with the Ice Prince."

"It's hard, Marcy. We can't kill that guy even if we could, or we'll gonna end up with another universe worth of trouble."

"We need help, I guess."

"But from who? We're basically fugitives here."

"I don't know yet. I was going to say that we seek the Bonnie of this universe but..."

The magical dog morphed into a crude representation of Princess Bubblegum. "I'm one crazy nerd junky! I love science and I'm going to evaporate you with my blasters!"

"Shh! Pipe down, will you?"

"Hehe."

Marceline stole a glance at the moonless sky, which paved way to let the stars dominate the night. "Tomorrow, we need to get to the Pit."

"The Pit?"

"That's where the Ice Prince imprisoned the Jake-lich, remember?"

The magical dog looked thoughtful for a moment. "That's totes a-okay plan but we can't risk parading Flame Princess around!"

"Then we'll split up in the morning. I figure Finn would want to stay with Princess over there, so it would just be me and you and the Pit tomorrow."

"But I need to be with my bro-ham!"

"Look, it wouldn't take too long, Jake. We don't know this universe and we shouldn't be out on our own."

"What exactly do you want to see in that hole, anyway? I'm not really excited to meet my mad-uglies version..."

"Just trust me, okay?"

The dog nodded meekly. "But we should tell them before we leave."

"Of course. Wow, Jake! You seemed more...focused today? What gives?"

"I don't know...this AltOoo sure jacks down my party mood."

"AltOoo?"

"Alternate Ooo!" Jake waved his arms frantically.

"That's stupid."

Marceline and Jake spent the rest of the night talking about what transpired and what could possibly happen. About a few minutes after midnight, the dog toppled over and slept, his snores blocking out other noises in the environment. The Vampire Queen was left awake to guard her friends from possible attacks, resorting to playing with the bonfire.

_The answer is in the girl beside you. Cosmic Owl? What does that mean?_

~~o~~

This chapter is meant to tie some loose ends and set up events for the upcoming big chapter! This story is around 60% already, by the way.

Nephilim: Haha! I'm happy you liked how things were developing!

SCIK1012: I'm glad I met your expectation, Miss! I hope you'll like what I have in mind for your characters!

Ooobserver: Dude, are you open for co-writing at least two chapters sometime in the near future? I'm kinda afraid of touching the lores of the CoT, to be honest. I know this sounds too much and it's okay if you can't.

kojh0124: Hehe that chapter was really meant to mess up with your mind.

SamuShark: Dude, I'm happy you find this story good. One thing though, the concept of Baby Marceline belongs to the story 1000 Years Back.

Thanks for the reviews, dudes! It means so much to me! And thanks for pointing out the errors in the previous chapter!

Do you mind at least one more "filler" chapter?


	18. Chapter 18

I do not own Adventure Time, but I like where the show is heading to.

~~o~~

Chapter 17 - Vade Mecum

"Finn, stop swishing that sword!"

"I just don't get it! Why does the two of you get to go on an adventure without me?"

"We can't bring FP with us, Finny, and I know you would not want to leave her here."

Finn really wanted to go to the Pit to see the Jake-Lich, but it was true he would never ever leave Flame Princess' side. The said girl just looked at the scene warily, still shooting nervous glances at the vampire hovering a few feet away from her.

"Just...hurry back will yah?"

"Of course, buddy!" Jake stretched his arms to comical proportions and formed a huge thumbs up.

Finn smiled at his brother's gesture and changed the Imatari to an equally huge thumbs-up sword. "It's rhino wrong to leave buddies behind, man, but I understand. I'll keep FP safe here, that's a promise."

Marceline interjected, poking Finn on his cheek. "Good, young brave hero! I promise we won't be gone for too long."

He was really saddened to see the two leave, especially Marceline. Finn only got to physically see her again for a few hours and now she left again. Still, he knew his friends would keep their promises in hurrying back. _And it's not like Marceline owe me something or anything._

"Finn, are you and Marce..Marshel...Marshe-"

"Marceline." Finn grinned at the flaming princess beside him. "We're good friends, that's all!"

"Is she evil? Why did she snatched your hat to wake you up?"

"What? No! That's a prank. Marceline loves pranks and games." Well, the vampire managed to tire his back from all the chasing throughout the cave. _I had to climb wall of rocks just to reach her, for Glob's sake!_

"I like setting fire on Goblins' butts. Is that a prank?"

"No! You shouldn't do that to innocent people! Pranks shouldn't be harmful. They're meant to make both sides happy."

"Fires are harmful...I'm made of fire, so I'm harmful, right?"

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Not if you can control it."

For a while, the two of them stared into the horizon. In the distance, Marceline and Jake were just two flecks of yellow and black. The break of dawn offered ample light to track the movement of the two, that was until the last hill swallowed them away from sight. Finn took one last look and was about to head back into the cave when Flame Princess spoke.

"Finn, what is a 'mistake'?"

One thing he realized from his limited interactions with the Flame Princess of AltOoo, she had a mind of a child. The hunger for knowledge was apparent in her. Still it was weird for her to ask what 'mistake' meant.

"It's something you did wrong, or something that came out wrong and you might totes regret in the future. Why do you ask?"

"I am a mistake. That was my Prince told me the night before I woke up in that witch's cage. Why am I a mistake?"

"Look, Princess, I know you don't really know me but I know a lot about you and I can say you're not a mistake. Heck, no."

The flaming girl beside him visually glowed, both metaphorically and literally. The two of them shared a smile as they made way back to their cave to hide. As Finn was about to reach for his backpack in search of something to eat for breakfast, he heard a definite rustling of clothes. Curious, he turned and saw Flame Princess taking off her orange top.

Finn immediately averted his gaze and stared at his feet instead. "What the bjork are you doing, FP? Put your clothes back! What the hecklish Nightosphere?"

"Why? Is this wrong? Princess Bubblegum said I should take off my clothes to boys who catch my interest."

"What the actual-"

"Although Ice Prince always told me to put some clothes on at all times. I'm so confused!"

Finn wracked his brain for an explanation, but whenever he was about to look at Flame Princess, any reply was easily blown away by her public indecency. Finally remembering to turn his back, he was able to mutter an explanation. Finn could hear more rustling of clothes while he was staring at the rocky walls of the cave. Thinking the girl finally had some sense back, he stole a glance at the Princess, only to find her stepping out of her skirt.

"I don't know what the deal with the PB of this universe but I can assure you she is crazy banaynays and you should probably forget everything she said to you!" He was actually winded from the speed-talking, much to his chagrin. "What she told you to do is sick, and could get you to trouble. You shouldn't go parading naked around other people, FP!"

"Why? Ice Prince never really explained me why..."

"I'm taking your Prince's side on this one, FP. Just do it, please. Put your clothes back." Finn was also lost on how to explain the importance of not parading naked, opting to convince her on a different way. "Why are you even obeying Princess Bubblegum? I thought you hate her?"

"I dunno, Finn. Something about her is so convincing. She seemed always right and you're always wrong..."

"Look, just put back your clothes!"

"Alright..."

Finn made sure Flame Princess had all her garments in the proper places before he returned his gaze, cheeks still flushed with shame. He hated to think that he wanted to make the Princess Bubblegum of AltOoo pay for her wrongdoings, but she crossed the moral line there. That's not even scientific for that matter.

"Are you mad?"

"I'm not. Just...don't do something like that again, okay?"

"Okay." Flame Princess suddenly leaned and looked at him straight in the face. "You're all reddish in the face. Are you sick?"

"No."

The fire girl nodded innocently and smiled as if nothing happened. "What would happen now?"

"We lay low and wait for them to come back." Finn toyed with his Imatari again, practicing with various imagined weapons. Each transformation more bizarre and useless than the previous. "But maybe we should find something to pass the time, m'lady."

He swung the Imatari, then transformed it into the Grass Sword and flicked the tip to make it rotate. Flame Princess clapped at his display of so-called mastery of precision cutting by slicing a jutting rock cleanly in two. To complete his exhibition, he changed the Imatari into a crude imitation of the flaming sword he saw Sawyer wield yesterday. Before the two pieces of rock hit the cave floor, they were further sliced up by the Imatari and melted into puddles of burning sludge.

"I was wondering, FP, do you know how to properly control your flames? The Flame Princess from my universe can burn one whole kingdom to the ground whenever she wants to." He mentally cringed at the thought of FP she knew and Cinnamon Bun.

"My Prince thought me how to keep it under control so I won't destroy our home, but no I can't burn a whole kingdom."

"That's alright. I'm here to protect you anyways. I'll never leave your side until we sort the junk out of this universe."

They spent the whole morning playing with the Imatari by transforming it into the craziest things he could imagine, pausing only for a quick breakfast. Finn really was desperate to hear the same hearty laugh the Princess makes. _Glob, they have the same laugh._

Finn continued experimenting with the Imatari, which now resembled a katana except it was double-edged. He rectified his error, but only managed to take out the edge on the proper side. Now he was left with a katana with a reversed blade.

"I need to jack up my imagination, I guess. Right, FP?"

The fiery princess did not answered. Finn turned and got the shock of his life for the umpteenth time.

Ice Prince was staring at him.

Finn stared back, warily eyeing Flame Princess slung on the ice monarch's left shoulder. Her flames were doused and she was a bit dull in color. It took a few seconds before Finn could react to what was happening.

"Whatever you're planning, man, don't do it. I'm warning you! A-set the princess a-down!"

"Look, bro, I'm not looking for a fight. I just want to be with Flanna, that's all..."

Finn was momentarily stunned by the apparent politeness of the Prince and the changes in his voice, that was until he noticed his physique and clothing. He can't believe it, Finn Mertens was standing in front of him. He looked normal except for the still bluish tinged of skin and the whitish blonde hair, even his nose was a lot shorter than Finn remembered. He was also wearing the very same farmer's clothing he watched on Prismo's TV Wall.

"What the heck happened to you, dude? You're...normal!"

"That's right! I'm Finn Mertens again and you don't need to protect her from me anymore."

Suddenly, Ice Prince grabbed the side of his head and shouted in pain, the shrill voice returning momentarily. "Flanna! I've got this! You're ruining everything again! Look, he's convinced!"

Finn's face hardened in realization. "You can't fool the jab out of me, Ice Prince! Let go of the Princess!"

The Imatari in his hand reverted back to its original form, which Finn quickly amended by transforming it into a weapon he was itching to test out. Within moments, the Imatari now resembled the Axe Bass Marceline used in their together-dream - the Earthshaker. The deep brown axe looked more simple without the feminine touch of Marceline, but more menacing with the modifications Finn made. Instead of a double-ended axe, the other half of the blade was occupied by a sledgehammer.

"This thing's pretty heavy!" Finn hoisted the Axe Bass and strummed the strings randomly.

Then chaos ensued.

~~o~~

Ice Prince was shocked by the force of the strange weapon - it effectively thrown him a few feet high in the air. He narrowly avoided the large rocks that was thrown away too by the forceful tremor. To protect the out cold princess in his arms, Ice Prince enveloped themselves in a thick sphere of ice.

"Son of a Nightosphere! Are you trying to kill us all, dude?"

_I think he's trying to cave in this place._

"Maybe, I don't want to take chances!"

With a grunt, Ice Prince willed the icy sphere to shatter and sent the spikes at the human. When all the dust was settled, Ice Prince was relieved to see that the cave was not heavily damaged. His relief was short-lived though.

"Your ice did not even made a scratch on my armor, yo!"

At first he was struggling to what he was supposed to be seeing, but when the dim light returned to the cave, Ice Prince was taken aback. Finn was wearing a suit of armor made of roughly cut rocks, and only his eyes could be seen in his helm. A knight clad in hardened earth.

"You think you can stop me with that messed up pieces of earth junk?" He suspended Flame Princess on the ceiling by blasting her with potent ice and shot down at Finn below, quickly drawing his Demon Blood Sword from its ice scabbard.

"I will never be fooled by your cheap tricks, Princey!"

When the crimson weapon locked with the earthy axe, a violent earthquake ensued that cracked the cave open and showered blinding light on the two combatants. A groaning sound emanated from the axe and the next moment, Ice Prince was hit squarely with a large slab of hardened earth. Before a second rock could flatten him, he blasted it with ice lightning. One thing he noticed about the human was his decreased agility due to the weight of the armor and weapon.

_The weapon, Mertens! He could control the earth with it! Let's bust out of here!"_

"No!"

With blinding speed, he zoomed towards Finn and struck down hard with his crimson blade and shattered the rocky helm. The force alone sent the human on the ground with a grunt. Then he heard a whizzing sound and turned around in time to block a flat expanse of rock with his free hand, freezing it in place and smashed it instead on Finn.

"Had enough, human?"

With his rocky gauntlet, Finn gripped his leg hard and made him yell in pain. Panicking, Ice Prince repeatedly slashed at the boy until he let go. By his thirteenth blow, the armor was decorated with numerous dents and was like opening canned sardines.

"I won't lie down as you take away my friend!" Finn slowly stood and swung the sledge-axe, which Ice Prince easily avoided.

He flew back a few feet and watched as Finn took off his broken helm, which hurtled directly at him. Ice Prince reflexes weren't fast enough to evade the attack but it was stopped dead in its tracks by an ice shield that suddenly materialized out of nowhere.

_I've got this, Mertens. You can do the fighting with your sword, let me control your ice._

"Alright."

In the next few moments, flying pieces of rocks and ice mercilessly smashed with one another as Finn and Ice Prince walked closer to each other. A loose earth nearly smacked his right cheek, missing him by few inches. To preserve the edge of his Demon Blood Sword, although doubting if it even needs protection, Ice Prince covered its blade with sharpened ice. The temperature around the cave dropped down instantly by his actions.

_Here._

The edged ice sheet suddenly burst into bright green flames that illuminated the whole place with flickering light. "Thanks!"

_You need to hurry... I can feel fire chick's pulse weakening._

Ice Prince panicked and broke into a run. He had planned to put down Finn at that moment permanently, but he knew time was not on his side. His enemy copied his movements and ran as fast as he could while wearing the hulking suit of armor. He watched as the sledge-axe transformed into a deep brown longsword, the earth-controlling capabilities intact.

With a battle-cry, the human clashed swords with him. The scene was perfectly reminiscent of their battle at the town's square. This time, Ice Prince will win. _I'm sure of it. This for you, Flanna. All for you._

_I know._

Out of nowhere, malleable ice enveloped his body and formed a suit of his own to match his adversary. His fervor renewed, Ice Prince punched the human in the face with his ice gauntlet. In one swift motion, the boy retaliated with a punch to the gut, shattered the ice, and winded him. Both blows sent them sprawling on the ground.

"I can't let everything end like this...!" They both scrambled to get away from one another and assumed their respective stances.

"If my bro gets back here, he'll pummel your icy buns!"

"Dude, please, just stay out of my biz. I promise you I won't bother you again!"

Much to Ice Prince's dismay, the boy just shrugged away his proposal and jumped at him with his blade drawn. "You asked for it? You'll get it!"

At that moment, his body temperature dropped down, his hair grew a bit longer, and his eyes became clearer. He was somewhat halfway into being the notorious and crazy Ice Prince he was before. Fortunately, Flanna halted his transformation.

_That should be more than enough._

"Enough to end this."

Ice Prince stole a glance at the knocked out Princess on the ceiling, the ice he used to stick her there was already melting slowly. He needs to make this fast or else she will wake up and make things harder for him.

"Don't let your sight stray away from your enemy!"

~~o~~

Sawyer's first normal sleep in a whole millennium was uneventful. He did not even had a dream. It was just one relaxing phase. Nevertheless, he groggily opened his eyes and slowly sat upright. To his horror, he found out he was sleeping in Princess Bonnie's bed. Empty bottles of wine littered the bedroom floor as well as discarded clothing that mostly belonged to him.

"Good morning, Say."

He quickly spun his head and saw his Mistress lying on the bed with only blanket for covers. Sawyer felt the blood rush to his head as his feet got cold in fright. This shouldn't be happening, she was long dead. Yet, there she was, his Mistress and her golden locks of hair, smiling sweetly at him.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!"

..._wake up!_

_...Say! C'mon! Wake up!_

"Wake up!"

It was a dream of course, adead person from his past forcefully clinging to his present. Sawyer really wished those 'Memory Reflux' would stop already. At least there were some changes - they now mix with the present.

"Wait."

He was not dreaming when he woke up in Bonnie's bed after all.

"What happened? Why am I in your room, Bonnie?"

"Pssh, relax! You just had too much wine last night so I let you sleep here. I...also kinda tested the 'Hangover Eraser Formula' on you. What do you feel right now?"

"I feel fine...but that does not explain why I can't remember what happened last night and why we're both naked! And I'm an underage so I shouldn't really be drinking..."

The pink monarch looked at him thoughtfully, then extended an arm to cup his face. "We just slept, that's all."

"You could have just let me sleep on the floor."

"You know I wouldn't do that to you."

"Honestly, I don't."

Bonnie's left eyebrow twitched. "You don't trust me? After everything I've done for you?"

Sawyer immediately cowered under the tone of her voice. "I trust you Bonnie! I just..."

"Then don't fret." The Princess sat upright and planted a lingering kiss on his right cheek before gently sliding down his neck. The pink lady pushed him lightly down on his pillow and licked his right earlobe, sending shivers down Sawyer's spine.

"Bonnie...stop. We shouldn't be doing this!"

"That wasn't what you said last night." Bonnie winked at him.

This sent him on a blinded rage. Sawyer roughly pushed her away from him, rolled out of the bed, hurriedly put on his pants, picked up the rest of his clothes and was about to bolt out of the room when he stopped short of the door and broke down into a heaping mass of crying human. A human who had enough.

"Just who the hell are you? The truth frightens me but you're driving me mad. I think I'm in love with you and I know I just met you yesterday but it feels like I've known you since forever. You feel like someone I knew so much, my Mistress!"

"Say..."

"I'm seriously contemplating on using my Truthsayer on you, Princess, so shut the fu-" Sawyer stifled a curse word in time. "Sorry."

"I don't even understand what you're trying to say, but I love you too. I was thinking that should be obvious from the start."

His voiced cracked and almost failed to come out. "Stop messing with my mind!"

"I'm not, Say. There were coincidence that were meant to happen."

Suddenly, Sawer felt something soft land on the back of his head. Apparently, Bonnie was now hugging him from behind in all her naked glory. He lose himself on her bubblegummy scent as they rocked back and forth while he cried. Her presence was instantly comforting for him. The sun was already in its full might when sense fled back to Sawyer, making him realize what he was doing.

"I'm sorry, Princess. You shouldn't be seeing me like this. I shouldn't have doubted you."

"Just say it again. Say you love me and I'll forget everything you said."

"...I love you, Bonnie."

"I love you too, Say."

This time, Sawyer spun and smashed his lips with Bonnie. His tears got smudged all over the monarch but neither of them cared. He felt her guiding hands directing him back to the bed.

Bonnie broke the kiss to greedily engulf much needed air. "For a 15 year old boy, you sure know how to kiss properly. Have you been reading the Enchiridion?"

"What?"

"Nevermind." The Princess smiled and reached for the button on his pants. She was about to pull it down when a knock on the door pulled them back to reality.

"Your Highness, the ceremony will begin in about thirty minutes! I suggest you and Master Mertens get ready for it."

"Alright Pepbut! We're coming!"

"He knew I was here?"

Of course, the only human on Ooo would be easily missed. That was a dumb question. The pink monarch just shrugged and pulled away from him, requesting him to get ready too for the day ahead. Sawyer hurriedly put back his clothes, washed his face, and tried to comb his unyielding spiky brown hair.

"Are you ready?" A well-dressed Bonnie stood at the door, a small deep pink handbag on her shoulder.

Sawyer looked at her straight in the eye. "Bonnie? What are we?"

"...We could be anything you want."

"I want to be your Prince, I guess. If that could even apply to me." He walked closer to the tall monarch.

"Nah. You're a King-material." She closed the distance as they shared another sloppy kiss, nervousness and frantic emotions interfering with his senses.

"We need to go."

He nodded and followed her out of the room. Along the way outside of the castle, Sawyer met Cinnamon Bun again who was somehow got himself stuck on the ceiling. Ignoring the half-baked bun's antics, he ran after the Princess who was already sitting inside the pink carriage that would take them to the town plaza, where the Princess would formally introduce him to the Candy Kingdom.

"What are you waiting for? Get in."

"Thank you, m'lady."

The ride towards the plaza was quite tensed. Bonnie cannot keep her hands to herself, persistently trying to reach inside his jacket. Sawyer closed the blinds and ravaged the Princess right there. He prayed dearly that Bonnie's moans won't reach the chauffeur's ears.

"Maybe we should..."

"Alright, Say, but be ready for an _oral _report later!"

He blushed madly. "What?"

Princess Bubblegum just giggled. "C'mon, we're here."

Remembering a long lost act of courtesy, Sawyer got out of the carriage first and guided the Princess down. Trumpets blared instantly as the large gathering of crowd erupted into frenzied cheers and claps. At that moment, he did not know what to do.

Bonnie leaned closer and whispered. "We need to get to the stage. I want you to hold my hand while we're walking, okay?"

"Alright, Princess."

To be honest, Sawyer felt like a pet being paraded in front of people. Some candy people even tried breaking through the crowd to reach him but was stopped by the sinister looking security force. They wore full battle gear similar to the SWAT force he saw on a movie he once watched with his Mistress. For the most part, they appeared humanoid. He wasn't very sure because their faces were completely concealed in deep black helmets. The glass faceshield was effective in bouncing off the light.

"Who are they? Are they some kind of special Banana Guard units?" He warily eyed the weapons they carried - those were submachine guns if he was right.

"No! They're the Elite Licorice Force, the one I told you about yesterday. They only operate when I need high security protocols like today."

He nodded in understanding. _They looked cool._

When they finally reached the stage, Sawyer felt his legs become jelly because of nervousness. He wondered if he was supposed to give a speech or something more socially hard for him. Princess Bubblegum beckoned him to sit at one of the chairs on the stage, next to a yellow dog with a hat. He first thought that it was Jake, but the dog quickly introduced himself.

"Hello, my boy! I'm Joshua the Dog. I'm the current hero of this kingdom. I'm sorry I wasn't able to properly introduce myself to you yesterday, but you were kinda knocked out anyway."

"That's alright, Sir. I'm sorry if I caused you trouble."

"No, not all. I wouldn't let the last human and my soon-to-be partner bleed to death!"

"Thank you, Sir."

"Joshua is fine, lad."

Suddenly, Princess Bubblegum spoke through the microphone on the stand. With all authority at her might, she addressed the crowd directly that silenced them. "Good morning my sweet citizens! We are gathered here, as you already know, to formally welcome the last human in Ooo. Let's hear it for Sawyer the Human!"

He stood up as Bonnie signaled and walked slowly towards the stand. The crowd's cheers intensified instantly upon seeing him. "Sawyer, on his first day upon waking up, already proved his bravery and valor by driving away the criminals yesterday!"

Suddenly, numerous plasma screens around the plaza lit up and showed some of the events that transpired. Each of the screens easily matched up to the size of a small house. The candy people were pacified by his display of so-called bravery and valor.

"For that matter, I would like to delegate Sawyer as another Hero of Candy Kingdom, a Hero of Ooo just like Joshua the Dog. Together, I know they will make differences in our steadily becoming dangerous environment." Bonnie handed him a piece of paper with some scribblings. "And now Sawyer would take the Vow of Subservience and Heroship!"

He was feeling light headed by that time. Slowly reaching for the microphone, Sawyer struggled to properly read the words scribbled on the paper. He inhaled and exhaled deeply to calm himself. With that, he began to read.

"I, Sawyer the Human, solemnly swear that I'm in no way influenced while reciting the vow."

He paused.

"To Candy Kingdom and to its habitants, I am forever in your debt." He froze.

_Thank you, Mistress Bonnie, I am forever in your debt._

"I will serve you all with my body, my soul, and my will, and my allegiance will always be with the kingdom."

_My body is yours, my soul is yours, and my will is yours._ _Yours and yours alone._

"I will be there to protect you even when your fathers cannot."

_You were there to raise me when my father cannot._

"I will be there to ensure your welfare even when your mothers cannot."

_You were there to care for me when my mother cannot._

"I will be there as a guiding hand even when your brothers cannot."

_You were there to guide me when my brother cannot._

"I will always be a part of this kingdom, a part of Princess Bubblegum, have always been and will always be."

_I am a part of you, have always been and will always be._

Sawyer's voice nearly faltered on the last part of his speech, which again probably sealed his fate. These matters couldn't have just been a coincidence, and with the limited knowledge he gathered from this world - nothing is impossible. Princess Bubblegum is his Mistress Bonnie.

"Let's have a round of applause for Sawyer the Human!" Raucous cheers and yells roared across the kingdom, akin to thunder rolling. "I hereby present you, Candy Kingdom's The Third Pillar of Strength!"

Bonnie motioned him to kneel in front of her, which he obliged. Suddenly, the pink monarch reached into his sleeves and pulled out the Truthsayer. As the crowd watched in silent anticipation, Princess Bubblegum tapped both of his shoulders with the flat side of the blade.

"I now pronounce you as a Hero of my eternal kingdom!"

The booming roars nearly deafened him as his Lady gave him back his sword, which he slid back inside his sleeves. Sawyer feinted smiles for the people, and was a bit amazed as the monitors displayed his face for everyone to see clearly. He contemplated on running away, but where would he go? It isn't as if he was 100% sure if Mistress Bonnie and Princess Bubblegum was one and the same. By that time, he was no longer actively listening to the Princess' speech.

"That is all, my citizens! Have a pleasant and fruitful day!"

While going down the stairs, Joshua the Dog patted him on the back before excusing himself for his scheduled check-up, saying starting tomorrow Sawyer will undergo his first day of training. He nodded attentively but deep inside, he was hurting. The lies were like blades dangling on his head. Immovable but present still.

"See yah around, kid."

"See yah too, Joshua."

Out of lack of something to do, he watched as Bonnie picked up a small cotton candy child and made faces to pacify his or her crying. The child immediately smiled and reached the Princess' face with small stubby fingers. It was a heartwarming sight, really. Something his past Mistress would never do without ulterior motive.

"Who are you, really?" _I guess it never mattered. I'm in love with her the same way I love my Mistress. A bitter and unwanted love, but love still. I hate that I love you, Bonnie._

He drew the hood over his face to conceal the tears continually pouring out of his eyes, not wanting to let the people he was going to serve see his time of weakness. Of all the hardships he endured, this was the first time tears openly flowed from his tired eyes. Every pent up emotions were always bottled up inside. _Well, there you have it, your breaking point._

"The oath can never be broken, I guess."

A strong tremor almost knocked him out of his feet and in the distance beyond the trees, birds frantically flew away from something. Another trouble was brewing.

~~o~~

"Training under Joshua the Dog, huh? I wonder if I could...?" Vera hurriedly weaved through the crowd and followed closely the quickly disappearing yellow bulldog. Within moments, she was directly behind her target.

"What do you want? I'm not talking to someone with a cloak on."

So the stories were true - this was no ordinary swordsman. Very few would have noticed her approaching, let alone while behind them. She took off her hood and with the most innocent voice she could, Vera introduced herself. "I just wonder if I could...undergo training with you too, Sir Joshua."

"I don't know Missy. I barely know you. I only train kiddies with potential, and that kid over there has lots of it." She nodded in understanding but quickly drew the small scimitar she hid beneath her cloak. "Very well."

As it turned out, Joshua wasn't in his full health so Vera quickly overpowered him with a swift smash in the face with her elbow. She mentally smirked at the pitiful state of the swordsman. She knew she could single-handedly kill this hero if she wanted to.

"Alright. Meet us tomorrow at the Castle Gates. 6 AM sharp! I don't want late comers!"

"Thank you!"

A loud bang echoed through the whole place and was followed by strong tremors, which Vera pointed out to be coming from the north. She immediately ran off to where Sawyer was moments ago and found the boy looking at a holographic map of Ooo projected from the tiny amulet on his neck. Princess Bubblegum was unsurprisingly by his side. Vera crept closer to eavesdrop, carefully placing herself among the agitated crowd.

"This is it, Say. If the map I gave you is correct, the Princess of Flames should be there in the north. Remember, bring every criminal alive." The devious Princess motioned to two of the motionless guards. "These two ELFs will accompany you and serve you at all costs. Use them as you will."

"Yes, Your Highness. Uh...do they have names? So I can properly address them."

For a split-second, Vera noticed a crease on Princess Bubblegum's forehead. "Just call them Don and Jon."

Vera knew what was going on Sawyer's head - Don and Jon was physically the same and could be easily mistaken for one another. "Oh well, that's pointless."

A small midnight blue van pulled up near the stage drove by another elite. "Get in the back of the van with these two, Say! Keep safe!"

"I will, Princess!"

Vera cringed as the Princess engaged in a liplock with the human, their saliva momentarily connecting as they pulled away from each other. The gesture was missed by all except Vera, who was intently spying on them. _You're one nasty witch, Bonnibel._

She discreetly followed Sawyer as a small ragged doll-like girl handed him his green knapsack. After which, he climbed inside the van and closed the metallic double-doors. Vera looked around and saw an unattended horse tethered on a nearby lamp post.

"Princess of Flames, huh?"

~~o~~

Finn felt the draining effect of prolonged use of the Imatari. It was slowly losing shape and phased in and out of its original form. He wanted to vomit but willed himself not to out of fear for surprise attacks. The Prince was insanely faster than him and could summon ice faster than he could control the earth. He puffed as he struck down the Imatari to the ground for support. Eyeing the enemy, he was alarmed to see that he was just a few feet away from him.

"Give me a break!"

"I'll break every bone you have, alright."

Finn pulled out his weapon, raised a large boulder and smashed it with his sledge-axe. Shards of jagged rocks hurtled to the advancing Prince, striking him directly in the chest but the ice armor he wore prevented real damage. Out of desperation, Finn broke out of his rocky suit and reverted the Imatari back to its original form. Instantly, his head felt better and clearer.

He rolled to the side and evaded Ice Prince, using the momentum to deliver his own strike. The loud cracking of ice signaled his triumph as he continued hacking at his stunned enemy. In his haste, he failed to notice the whirring sound of the Demon Blood Sword that nicked his abdomen and added to the various holes in his shirt. The actual cut was shallow enough, fortunately.

"Any minute now, Jake will come and save Flame Princess!"

"The one who needs saving is you, human!"

The Prince grabbed him by the neck and gripped him firmly, strangling Finn as he was raised in the air. The scorching cold of his enemy's frozen golden hand was enough to make Finn grunt in pain. Even his natural tolerance for bodily pain failed to kick in.

"You must tell me, mortal. How come you knew so much about me? Who are you really? Where did you come from?"

"Back off my biz, shwiz!"

"It doesn't matter. I just want idle chat before I snuff the heat from your body." Ice Prince smiled evilly at Finn. "Have you ever experienced being so cold your blood literally became frozen? It was a nasty experience, I tell thee."

Finn could not believe it. The Prince was back to being the goblin-like boy he knew very well. Finn Mertens was lost again. He licked his swollen lip and spat out some blood, hitting the Prince in the face. His hands were already shaking uncontrollably from the exertion.

"Uncouth loser!" Out of rage, Ice Prince barraged his stomach with continuous blows until he bend over in agony. His grip on Finn's neck was tightening with every second that passed.

"I won't give up!" With one last burst of strength, Finn raised his Imatari and tried hacking down the bionic arm's joint. The blow glanced off harmlessly but he was instantly freed. The moment he touched the ground, Finn transformed the Imatari into the Grass Sword and coiled it around the Prince's left leg.

"What the...?"

He pulled with all his might and sent the Prince to the ground. Finn took the chance to stomp on his face but a thick sheet of ice prevented his offense. The ice continued enveloping his feet but he managed to pull away in time. Finn retracted the Grass Sword and quickly flicked the blade.

"You're puny saber won't work on ice, dimphole!"

"This junk ain't for you!" Finn raised the spinning Grass Sword and flew up like a helicopter. Moving on air proved difficult but he managed to reach Flame Princess, freed her from the ice, and was about to escape out of the cave when the Prince recovered and started going after them.

"I'll get you! Ice lightning!"

Finn touched down outside the mouth of Marceline's Cave, transformed the Imatari into Earthshaker and struck discordant notes. The earthquake that ensued was so incredible that it completely obliterated the cave and trapped the furious prince inside. It took a full minute before the last tremors subside but Finn did not wasted any time into flying off again.

"I...kinda don't know if I can hold you if you became conscious again." The sleeping princess, of course, did not replied. "We need to get away from here...and fast!"

~~o~~

_Mertens! _

"What?"

_They're getting away!_

"I know."

_Then why are you still not getting up?_

"I'm tired, alright? I can't even lift this stone boulder on my back." He mentally slapped himself. "Oh wait."

He let out a huge blast of wintry wind that made an explosion enough to send all the debris of the cave away from him. It was like witnessing a volcano erupting with ice.

"C'mon. Where did they go?"

_They're going south. I'm afraid I can't sustain your Ice Prince form for long, we'll just risk turning you permanently. _

"And I can't fly for too long while being Finn Mertens...Wait, I've got an idea."

Focusing all his strength in his legs, he jumped as high as he could and hovered in the air. He then concentrated all his ice mastery in one single motion, creating a mile length ramp of ice towards south and summoned a snowboard for him to use.

"I don't know if the momentum will hold for too long though."

_You can use ice blasts to propel you farther._

"Oh yeah. That's right, Flanna!"

Smiling to himself, Ice Prince dropped down on the ramp and slid his way south with surprising speed. He could feel some thrill course through his body with mixture of excitement and anger because of Finn's meddling. The hot sun was beating down his exposed neck as he stoop low to reduce wind resistance. Luckily, his icy suit of armor offered some protection on other parts of his body.

_I wonder if the third boy would show up today._

"I'll smite him the next time we meet. Just don't interfere like the last time!"

Within few seconds, his speed was greatly diminished but he propelled himself with icy windblasts which sped him up again. On the horizon, he could already see Finn flying with Flame Princess on tow. Shooting a mighty blizzard out of his palm behind, the force sent him high in the air and directly in collision course with the escaping boy.

"Hey!"

At the last moment, Finn evaded and he was sent on a collision course to the ground instead. He softened his landing by enveloping himself with snowball, which he turned into ice spikes. Ice Prince knew he could not risk throwing them yet because of Flame Princess.

"Get down here and fight me like a man, dude!"

"I'm a man enough for you!" Ice Prince mentally snickered at his choice of words. Nevertheless, the stupid boy dropped down and settled the still sleeping Flame Princess on the grassy ground.

"No more games, Finn." He pulled out his Demon Blood Sword and pointed it directly at his enemy.

"I'm playing no games with you!" Finn readied the peculiar sword in his hands. It transformed into an approximate copy of his own crimson weapon. The only difference was the white tip of the handle was replaced by something quite different. "Get ready for some beatboxing so real it will make your eardrums break! Say hello to my Demon Blood Soundsword!"

When Finn pointed the thing at him and started making sounds with his mouth, he was instantly hit by soundwaves so powerful he almost lost grip on his own weapon. He wondered if an ice shield could stop the soundwaves but thought he had no alternative. Ice Prince created a large round shield and the second batch of soundwaves was somewhat nullified.

"Rise, my wintry guardians!" The icicle spears shifted form and turned into snow footsoldiers resembling the knights he once read in books. He knew these grunts would never stop Finn but will provide some needed distraction.

Suddenly, a sound of some engine purring dominated the scene. He spun around and saw a blue van coming to a halt in front of him. "Who in the blue blazes -"

An arc of fire stopped him in mid-speech, halted only by his ice shield which instantly melted. He looked up at the roof of the van and sure enough, there he is - the hooded boy with two swords.

"By the order of Princess Bubblegum, I command you to stand down and nobody will get hurt!"

~~o~~

A/N

I can't believe it took me 18 chapters to proclaim Sawyer as The Third Pillar! Oh well, better late than never. Oh yeah, I solemnly swear that I have no prior knowledge of Lemonhope's final moments through the futuristic Candy Kingdom. Although I can see the similarities with the Candy Kingdom I was portraying here in AltOoo.

Rumors said Adventure Time will revert back to its happy funtime mood of Season 1 on the next season. I don't know if I like that idea though because I really want to have mire epic episodes like Lemonhope. It was such a masterpiece! Somehow I can see the message that 'all good things must come to an end'...

Okay, if anyone was wondering, Sawyer's characterization was based on Kira Yamato of Gundam Seed. He was a reluctant hero provoked to do war by the women surrounding him (the captain, Flay, and Lacus to a certain extent). Also, the chapter title roughly translates to 'Go With Me'. And what could you comment on the temporary cover photo for this fiction? I made it myself!

Nephilim: Yo dude. Sorry to break your bubble but no, I don't fancy love triangles. I hope you wait for what I had in mind instead!

Ooobserver: Howdy, pardner! Yeah, Samuel's a Precursor! Hope you don't mind. And I decided to hold back the filler chapter. I feared it would have disrupt the pacing too much... Anyway, I'm glad you're down with co-writing a part of a chapter! Precisely, it would be in the last chapter.

SCIK1012: Hello Miss! I'm stoked to know you found Bonnie annoying enough! Heh, evil? Well...there are always two sides in a coin. Anyway, I decided to ask you too to co-write a part of the last chapter, if that would be okay with you? It's okay if you can't.

kojh0124: To be honest, I was never a fan of George Orwell but I do have a copy of 1984 although I never really got down to reading it. I was actually surprised that there were parallels between this and that book! If that was the premise of 1984, I'm sure I should read it soon. Thanks for pointing out dude!

That's all! Thanks for the reviews!

Oh, I'm sorry for the late update! I became busy with my thesis, its defense, and my upcoming college graduation! (But I admit, the Android game Card Wars could also be blamed for my tardiness in writing.)

Have a nice day!

Okay, I'm sorry but, one last thing. If there would only be one protagonist that can survive this story, who would it be? Finn, Sawyer, or Prince? I can't guarantee that the result would affect the ending but still...


	19. Chapter 19

I do not own Adventure Time. Just to be clear, this story follows the shows canon up until episode 49 of Season 5 only (Bad Timing), and with the prologue happening a few months after that episode.

~~o~~

Chapter 19 - Stalling and Stagnation

It had been a full day since Princess Bubblegum returned to her own universe. At first, she was worried and disappointed that Marceline never came back with her but she quickly figured out that Prismo planned something for the vampire. Even with that thought, she relentlessly tried to use the Enchiridion - which rematerialized in the Tree Fort for some reason - to no avail. The hidden compartments won't even open for her even if she could persuade the Princesses to lend her their Gems of Power again.

"I've never been so hopeless like this before..." Bonnibel let out a wide yawn, cupping her mouth appropriately. "I can't just sit here doing nothing either..."

_I miss you, Marceline... I won't rest until I found some way to see you again. One way or another._

She still doesn't know what tall tale to tell her citizens if they demand an explanation on the whereabouts of the three, especially Finn and Jake. She just hoped the rest of the royalties who knew what exactly happened would put a lid on their mouths. _LSP..._

_What will I tell them? 'Oh, I'm sorry my sweet citizens, our heroes got trapped on a different dimension and I can't do anything for them.'_

"I'd rather eat Pepbut than admit science can't help me now!"

"Why would you eat me, Your Highness?"

She managed to hold back a scream as she nearly fell off the chair she had been reclining, balancing it on its two legs only. "Can't you knock first, Peppermint Butler?!"

"But Princess, I've knocked already but you did not answered. I just came here to bring you your breakfast!" The round peppermint servant sounded a bit alarmed, but resilient to her quirks, he knew her temper won't last.

"Oh. Thanks, I'm just startled, that's all."

"Are you planning on spending your whole day in this lab again?"

"Of course...I've got lots of work to do! That Time Machine won't modify itself."

"You need sleep, Princess Bubblegum. Sleep and a shower."

She hastily sniffed herself and almost gagged at the smell of stale onion pizza. Her natural bubblegummy scent failed to cover the traitorous smell of her snack last night. "I can do that later, Pepbut. Thanks for the reminder, you can go."

"As you wish, Princess."

She let out a sigh after her head servant closed the door behind him. Bonnibel knew she needed rest, of course, but she can't just shun away work. The Time Machine in particular needs extensive modifications. She intended to retain its function to turn back time for the subject, essentially recalibrating their biological age; but at the same time, aimed to incorporate its real function to send the subject back in time.

Ever since she heard of the whole 'Simon and Betty Incident', she relentlessly tried to outdo it by making her own time manipulating equipments. Her first foray turned out to be very limited in terms of functionality, with LSP a living and breathing testament. _I needed something more absolute, and bigger._

That something lay dormant in front of her, a hulking metallic contraption of wires, monitors, pods, levers, buttons, and a large circular gate-like structure in the center. She clearly remembered how Marceline boldly stood below the arch as a test subject, only to emerge as a cute little baby. It took Bonnibel a few months to figure out what went wrong and how to turn the vampire back to her old self.

"Now, I'm going to change you again."

Suddenly, it occured to her that she haven't yet gave the her invention a proper name. In its papers, she just jotted down Prototype RX-78. It was a very generic-sounding name to be sure.

"How about Project Eternal Enhanced Body Salvation?" She was stunned for the better part of a minute, then burst out into uncontrollable laughter. "P.E.E.B.S.? Really? This powerful drive shall be called, Peebs?"

She gotta think of a shorter and more concised name, something that would instantly make a mark. Bonnibel eyed the two metal rings - one, smaller in diameter - that revolves around the subject upon operation, taking note of how those were named Infinity and Eternity. The two structures maintained the stability of the matter that was using the machine, otherwise they would destabilize and disintegrate into unrecognizable mass of atoms.

"This is hard..."

"How about Clockwork Promise?"

"Yeah, that sounds nice, although a bit inaccurate since it does not really resemble any clocks known in Ooo. It's a nice- WHO THE BAGTAG ARE YOU?!"

There, perched on her opened window a cloaked figure, the angle obstructing the face. The voice belonged to a woman though. "I thought you already knew of my plight, Your Highness?"

"You have 5 seconds to establish who you are before I test my pocket dimension on you, stranger!"

"Jeez, relax Princess. It's me, Betty." The cloaked figure took off her hood and revealed a middle-aged human with a pair of peculiarly shaped glasses Her reddish-brown hair was tied in a haphazard knot, with streaks of hair loose at some places. "I'm here for your time machine, and Simon."

"I know what you're thinking... How come you can't build one yourself? Ice King was successful into bringing you into the current time period...surely you two would be more knowledgeable at this."

"That's the point...we're a team. As you know, Ice King's really not right in the head. A space-time distorting machine as complicated as yours would be too difficult to replicate with our Mystic Rituals." The woman looked down on her feet as she hopped down the lab floor.

"Heh, pseudo-Science ain't enough for you?"

For probably a minute, they stared at each other. Bonnibel recognized the tiredness lying beneath Betty's eyes. Numerous scratches and cracks adorned her glasses, even her garb was in tatters. A look of utter desperation was what the human was portraying. "Do I have to beg?"

"What? No? I'm sorry if I came across as rude... I just can't get over how successful Simon was with making a hole of passage across different times. I admit I was rather jealous. Just look at this failed machine..."

"We can share you our theories and studies after you lend me your time machine, Your Highness. Together we will build a multi-purpose time-space portal, transporter, and age reverting machine rolled into one."

Princess Bubblegum contemplated the offer, weighing her choices on the issue. It seemed genuinely beneficial to both parties involved, and she have no doubts about what Simon and Betty could do.

"I was just wondering...how come it took you months to ask for my help?"

"I knew of the troubles Simon made while he was the Ice King... I don't really have the face to seek help from people he aggravated. For all I knew then, you all probably just want him dead instead."

"No! Ice King was really troublesome but of course we don't want him dead!"

"I know." Betty cracked into a weak smile, which Princess Bubblegum replicated.

"Alright. Just let me warn you that I still had trouble in calibrating the age reversion. I don't know how many years would be trimmed out of Simon. The age reversion might stop a year short of him turning into the Ice King, or only stop when he's nothing but a pile of -"

"I know the consequences, thank you but let's bounce!"

"What?"

Betty reached for her hand and pulled her close to the window. Outside, suspended several stories above the kingdom, was Ice King sleeping on a anti-gravity carpet. She vehemently denied to call it a flying carpet.

"How?"

The woman just shrugged and instructed the carpet to enter the room. "I'll explain later, Princess, just start up Clockwork Promise please!"

Nodding, Princess Bubblegum hurriedly paced across the room and started pushing buttons on the central processor. Several screens lit up as various whirring sounds filled the laboratory. "Betty! Place Ice King inside those rings. Be careful not to disrupt the positions, okay?"

The woman nodded and did what she said. The slumbering Ice King,upon entering the controlled gravity field of the rings, rose a feet above the floor and was suspended in midair.

"Commence age reversion process, all systems go, thrusters at full power!" Princess Bubblegum pushed one final button and the rings started to revolve around Ice King, slowly picking up on speed aided by the rocket propulsions attached on the rings and creating a spherical illusion. "On the count of three, pull up that lever!"

"I've got this!"

"1...2...3...pull it!"

A loud bang imploded within the sphere as a swirling rift enveloped the rings that seemed to lightly pull at everything inside the room, ending on a huge explosion of white light. Princess Bubblegum nearly lost track of the readings that flashed across the screens, gaining on momentum only as her eyes adjusted to the excess light. "On the count of three, pull it down! 1...2...3...!"

As swift as the rift appeared, the particles dispersed. When the light show finally died down, the sphere became more and more transparent as the rings steadily slowed. "Was it a success, Princess?"

"See for yourself..." To be honest, she too felt nervous about the results but she opted to let the woman have the first look. The said woman was about to step on the platform of the rings again when a deep, coarse voice yelled loudly.

"BETTY!"

~~o~~

"Can we go back now?"

"Nope."

"Can we go back now?"

"Nein."

"What the junk, how did nine figured in this convo'?"

"Nein, not nine. It means 'no' in German. Bonnie used to hysterically repeat that word whenever I ask her if i should stop-"

"Okay, okay, okay, too much information!"

Marceline smiled internally, thinking that should stop the canine from badgering her.

"Hey, hey , hey, Marcy!"

"What?"

"...Can we go ba-"

"I swear to Glob and every deity on the Multiverse, I will rip out your eyeballs if you ask me that question again!"

The magical dog stuttered and silenced himself, for a moment that is. "Marcy?"

She did not responded.

"Can we go back now?"

"Jake...your my friend so I'm asking you this...how fast can you run?"

"Look I'm just pranking you, okay? No need to be so violent! I promise yah I won't do it -"

Marceline hurriedly covered the dog's mouth to shut him up. In the distance, she caught whiff of a familiar smell she never thought she would smell-again. It seemed the Badlands of AltOoo proved to be more dangerous than the one in their own universe, if the prevalent sweetish-rottish smell was an indication. The scent did not yet reached the dog's nostrils, but she knew Jake will pick it up as they near their destination.

"What did you do tha for?"

"Shut up. Remember your first trip on the Badlands with Finn, Bonnie, and James? Remember the goo monsters?"

"Yeah. What about them?"

"They're everywhere. There could be one hiding under where you stand now, I really can't pinpoint their exact location though. Their scent throws me off. Can't you smell them?"

"I kinda had a faint sniff earlier. But that's it."

Marceline instinctively reached for her Axe Bass and held the heirloom in front of her. Jake on the other hand made himself tiny and hopped on the vampire's shoulder. It was what she instructed earlier in the instance they feel danger around them. Marceline can withstand head-on the radioactive goo unlike Jake, although the radioactive air was one thing she can do nothing about.

"I wish we brought Princess Bubblegum's suit...I'll definitely feel safer."

"Quit complaining...that flame shield would do the trick more or less."

"More or less? I can't believe this junk! How could you even be so sure the Pit is in the Badlands?" Jake snapped his fingers. "Dang, we're not even sure this is the Badlands!"

Marceline remembered the terrified pleading of the young mage they came across camping outside the skirts of Wizard City earlier that day. The fledgeling magician named Ron James casted a flame shield on Jake as what she ordered. She hoped it would be enough to protect the magical dog from the harmful environment of the Badlands. _Finn would never forgive me if something bad happened to his bro._

The morning sunlight was easy to resist for the vampire, but the harsh afternoon sun would be different matter altogether. Luckily, they had reached the Badlands on record time. The bleak sky provided natural sunblock for Marceline, removing the need to find an umbrella.

"Marcy! Look!"

She followed where Jake's stretched armed was pointed and found a hill covered in holes filled with green goo. Each one of the holes surely contained at least three monsters, if she can remember correctly. As a further protection, Marceline hovered in the air instead of walking. In the distance, she could see the remains of once human civilization. The familiar wrecked buildings, scraps of metal and concrete, long-since corroded and faded lamp posts, and other typical Post-War junk made her remember her own bitter experiences regarding the post-apocalyptic period.

"I think I found our destination, Jake."

Below the mountain range they were standing on, lay a barren valley with nothing but dust and earth except for the huge crater in the center. If she could lift her house, Marceline was sure it would fit and fall through the hole easily. The only thing that would have halted that will be the blackened glass-like surface that covered the mouth of the crater, creating an illusion of a still, dead lake. The earth around the strange terrain structure reeked of death and negativity that made her uneasy.

"We need a closer look, are you down with that, Jake?"

"Do I even get a say in this, huh?"

"I'm glad you realized that."

Jake groaned loudly as she flew down the valley, Axe Bass held firmly in expectation of sudden attacks. She just need to tone down any unnecessary noise so as not to attract the goo monsters that probably littered the whole area.

"I can't believe this ice remained intact for a thousand years...this is some real wizardry." Marceline touched down on the hard and slippery ice, crouched down and wiped some of the black soot-like dust that covered it.

"Can't see *chatter* nothing in there, Marcy. It's too *chatter* dark." Jake trembled due to the cold waves the ice was emanating, which Marceline barely felt in turn.

"We need to let light shine through, then. C'mon, help me wipe away these stuff."

The moment the dog hopped off her and stretched to his normal size, he yelled loudly in pain as his feet touched the ice. Jake's panicked yells reverberated through the empty and desolated lands, making Marceline instantly nervous.

"What the heck is your problem now?"

"The ice's too cold for my toes! I should just have stayed-"

Collective haunting noises filled the valley, sending shivers down the vampire's spine that had nothing to do with the cold. Low groans, piercing shrieks, and pained moans echoed through the otherwise silent place. She immediately retraced her sight to the hills they stood a little while ago and saw numerous goo monsters emerging from the ground.

"Look, Marcy!"

They were surrounded, she knew it. Everywhere, goo-filled holes appeared as their habitants poured out like ants. Marceline stood her ground in the middle of the ice that covered the Pit. She was just a few inches (or feet) away from the answers she was desperate to have.

"Jake, you're suppose to help me, not make things worse."

"Make it worst, then."

"What do you mean?"

"Look at the size of that greasy-slimy thing!"

Marceline's jaw nearly dropped when she witnessed firsthand a whole mountain shake and stood on all fours. She wanted to slap herself just make sure she did not imagined seeing a large mound of rocks and earth turn into a colossal bull-like monster with dragonic head and covered in goo holes. It's vacant green eyes stared unseeingly, unblinking. Suffice to say she wanted to scream.

"What are we gonna do, Marcy?!"

"I admit this wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I thought of our little trip..."

"Can we go back now?"

"No, Jake... we can't, not until I made sure my hunch was right."

"What hunch?"

"That the Jake-Lich is the root cause of all of this."

Sounds of hundred footfalls rang through the valley of death. Marceline never knew she had to resort to one of her least used demon-vampire powers, raising the dead. "In this crevice of black, I beckon every single dead to come back! Relish in your freedom, let my will be done!"

Around them, numerous cracks on the disturbed soil appeared as skeletal hands shot up. _There were fewer than I expected...most probably just turned into these goo monsters. Tsk...and they're all way past their prime! I doubt they can even raise their bony fists..._

"We're going to die, right? And it's all my fault. At least that greaseball can't fly!"

Suddenly, the colossal bull dragon spread its wings and showered the whole valley with glistening streaks of radioactive goo. "You spoke too soon, Jake."

~~o~~

_Here I am again. On a dangerous task for a lady I barely knew, but at the same time I love unconditionally. That's stupid. What the heck, I'm just fifteen._

_With the experiences of a 35 years old._

Sawyer kept fidgeting through the whole trip to his task. The prospect of facing improbable danger always made him antsy, and it did not help that his companions are stoic and unmoving military personnels. The two Elite Licorice Forces, or ELFs, proved to be passive co-passengers in the rather bare van. They do not engage in idle talk, other than to update one another of their current location and estimated time of arrival. Their driver, an ELF too, was the same as well.

He had experimented with his hidden swords during the ride, flicking his wrist now and then but always managed to grip the Truthsayer only; the Flamberge always end up on the floor. Then he thought of an idea, which involved Sawyer halting the blades from emerging completely. It resulted into unmovable protrusion on his wrists, long enough to stab someone, but a bit too short to slice. At least he won't risk losing the weapons in battle.

"Sir, ETA is in 15 minutes, I suggest you ready yourself, Sir."

"Alright." Sawyer was honestly creeped out of the ELFs emotionless and robotic voices, as if speaking through some voice-changing contraption on their necks. They also have identical voices, much to his confusion. He can no longer even tell who was Don and who was Jon.

He inspected his knapsack to pass the remaining time, relieved that Princess Bubblegum's servants removed his Enchiridion. In its place was the little book Sawyer recognized was the same one Turtle Princess was so eager to show him. Curious, he reached for it and eagerly opened a random page. With bewilderment, he began to read.

_I always knew that the end is one of the only two, truly inevitable thing in this world. The other is change. I feel like...I never really got to accomplish what I meant to achieve in this backwater country. Before, I was really sure of my decision to stay in Junktown; to guide and teach the less fortunate children instead of snotty little brats in the city. Now, I'm not so sure._

_I mean, I never even got the chance to see my parents again, if they even survived the catastrophe Finn Mertens created. That boy...I thought he would turn out okay, him and Flanna Hacksworth. I guess some things were never meant to be, the same way some things were always meant to be._

_My hands were still muddy as I write this. I can't find it in my heart to wash away the stains of the soil I used to bury Mr. and Mrs. Mertens yet. I can't believe they just decided not to wake up. That's unfair. Well, the week-long suffering in their deathbed probably made up for it. _

_But now I have to care for the last Mertens boy. How could I even raise a child in this environment is beyond me. God help me, I'm ready to give up myself. _

_Miss Bonnibel B. Hamilton. _

_November 23, of the year 3075_

Sawyer can't believe it. He can't believe he was finally holding in his hands the little black book his Mistress always wrote something on but forbid him to read. He felt his heartbeat begin to rise as he hurriedly rushed to the very last page of the diary. To his curiosity, the very last page was only held in place by a adhesive tape, the wrinkled paper barely readable.

_Catastrophe… What is the meaning of this singular word? Some define it as a violent and sudden disaster, a horrible event. You may also describe it as an utter failure or a destructive incident. I'd personally like to find its meaning in a more literary term: the final event of a dramatic action, the closing of a tragedy. _

_I never thought that this word would be the perfect adjective to describe the history of our world…_

_An ancient war ragged upon the planet, sowing a seed of destruction beneath our bare feet. For centuries it remained unnoticed, buried underground, sterile and dead within the darkness… It was never meant to germinate… Or so we thought._

_It was fate or just pure misfortune what led young Finn Mertens to set that bomb off. Vested with the power of a mysterious crown, the enraged boy unleashed his freezing wrath against the ominous flames that threatened to eat away everything he once knew and loved._

_As he lost control over his mind, his newly acquired powers began to run wild, ultimately bursting the atomic power of the hidden missile after striking the earth mercilessly with his frozen bolts. _

_Oblivious to those hazardous events, we the common folk, suffered great uncertainty while the once blue skies above us grew dark and a mass of crying phantoms rose in the horizon, shortly after a blinding light exploded somewhere in our beloved land. _

_Just a few villagers managed to survive the explosion. We were left behind to wonder why were we destined to live another day in an already condemned world. Then, hunger drove us to leave our homes and everything we had once possessed. It was a never-ending journey of peril and sickness._

_Our quest for food and shelter was nothing but a failure, another catastrophe. A mysterious wave of cold weakened our exhausted bodies, destroyed every crop in the fields and killed most of our livestock. Those who managed to survive the continued swarm of winter storms that struck the land, suffered from other unknown diseases. We noticed blisters and changes in the color of our skin, as well as many other physical alterations in our bodies. I guess I could blame the atomic radiation for that… _

_In the end we were too weak and weary to continue venturing into the bleakness of our new world, which forced us to leave our nomadic ways and get established in the middle of nowhere. The years came and went, never bringing news of other towns or cities with them. We began to believe that we were the last humans on Earth…_

_We became endangered species; at least that is what the gradual appearance of ferocious creatures in the land made us think. It all started with a glimpse of a gigantic winged-reptile, crossing the greyish skies. Then, eight months after that strange sighting, our small village was attacked by a herd of colorful equines, which came from within strange crystal portals that were suddenly opened around us._

_Those beautiful but frightening beasts could have devoured us all if it wasn't for the bravery of our youngest member, the last Mertens boy. Using the sharpness of an old rusty blade, the young man managed to scare away those monsters and save what remained of our village. _

_Right after obtaining his victory, the brown-haired lad left our side, swearing to return with news of the outside world, food and medicines. We never saw him again since then…_

_This is the last piece of humanity's history. As I feel my own life slipping through my fingers, I'll devote the last of my strength to finish this paragraph just in case someone out there finds these writings…_

_Just in case someone manages to survive this… catastrophe… _

_Miss Bonnibel B. Hamilton. _

_May 21, of the year 3087_

He choked back a cough that was forming in his throat, being way past the the point of crying. Sawyer had enough of everything. He felt like nothing could surprise him now. Calming himself, he placed back the diary on his knapsack and sat still for a second or two.

Then he punched the metallic wall behind him, which piqued the interest of the ELF nearest to him.

"Sir, that's made of hard alloy sturdy enough to withstand our own weapons. You can't punch -"

"Shut up or I'll punch you in the face!"

_We noticed blisters and changes in the color of our skin, as well as many other physical alterations in our bodies. I guess I could blame the atomic radiation for that… _

If the personnel had a reaction, the black tinted glass of his helmet prevented Sawyer from seeing it. He was about to say sorry for his outburst when their driver spoke in the same robotic voice.

"We've arrived, Sir. Permission to deploy."

_...just in case someone out there finds these writings… Just in case someone manages to survive this… catastrophe…_

"Deploy...? Wait. No. Wait for my signal. Just... stay here until you hear the word 'hurt', okay?"

"Affirmative, Sir!" All three spoke in unison. To be honest with himself, Sawyer wasn't really optimistic with the plan he hastily formed in his head.

Nodding and donning the hood of his jacket, Sawyer opened the doors on the back of the van and was momentarily blinded by the afternoon sunlight. He immediately climbed on the roof and flicked his wrist to draw the blades, nearly losing hold of the Flamberge again. He spotted his brother below him directly in front of their vehicle, as well as numerous knights made of ice and snow.

"Who in the blue blazes-?"

Just for the heck of it, he swung the fiery blade and sent an arc of fire at his direction. His attack was unsurprisingly negated by an ice shield. "By the order of Princess Bubblegum, I command you to stand down and nobody will get hurt!"

At the mention of the word 'hurt', his small team burst out of the vehicle and rolled expertly on the ground with guns trained on their enemies. "Sir, permission to engage!"

"Shoot down those knights, leave the two bastards to me!"

Sawyer took his brother's momentary stunned condition to throw the Flamberge at him, the blade doing 360° spins before reaching its target.

~~o~~

_Mertens!_

A big flat expanse of ice blocked the spinning fiery blade, but before it even hit the floor, Ice Prince was shocked to see the hooded boy crashing down on him with the longsword drawn. He met the attack head on and planted his feet firmly on the ground, pushing away his enemy. He stole quick glances at his ice knights, who were easily decimated by the familiar weapons the other enemies held.

_Guns, Prince. They're frigging, guns._

"What the gleaming rhymes do you want now?!"

"Shut up!"

Ice Prince couldn't fathom the reason for the unfound hatred plainly fixated on the boy's eyes. If looks could only kill, he would have been nothing but minced meat. He broke away from his stare and started to run in Finn's direction, who was vomiting on the grass. Taking his moment of distraction, Ice Prince grabbed Flame Princess and hoisted her on his shoulder. He was about to summon another ice ramp when an arc of fire nearly lashed him on his back.

_We can't just get away from here now..._

He spun and found the boy dashing towards him, his two swords half-concealed within his the sleeves of his jacket. With one swift motion, Ice Prince gently dropped the sleeping Princess back on the ground and clashed his crimson blade with the two protrusions.

"Just who the heck are you?"

"I'm Sawyer, the Third Pillar!"

"I don't even know you, dude? What did I ever do to you?!"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!"

The longer sword at his adversary's disposal emerged completely and almost impaled his head, managing to swerve his neck to the right in the nick of time. Ice Prince lashed out and froze his weapon, the ice continuing to envelop even Sawyer's hidden blades.

_That's a rather bad idea._

The wider orange-colored sword burst into flames, blasting through his ice sheet and nearly incinerated his face, stopped only by an extra layer of ice. Ice Prince reinforced his ice armor, donning a full body set for further protection.

_Look out for Finn! He recovered already!_

Just then, a ear-splitting soundwave hit him and Sawyer that dropped them both to their knees. Being more accustomed to the harsh noise, Ice Prince punched the boy square in the face with his mechanical arm. The force of his bionic arm caused Sawyer to drop both of his weapons, which Ice Prince took the chance to snatch the longer weapon. He was about to hack the boy into pieces with the two weapons in his hands when a volley of bullets rained on him. All except one were stopped by his ice armor, resulting into major bleeding on his left, fleshy arm.

"My Ice Knights!"

All were taken down brutally by the two strangers garbed with peculiar battle gears. Their guns trained on him, probably unaware that another combatant was present in the battlefield. Just then, Finn resumed making sounds with his mouth that sent another batch of disorienting soundwaves. The two were unfazed.

"I want one of those headgears."

Ice Prince ducked instinctively as he felt Finn approaching from behind, rolled over and covered his bleeding arm with a thick sheet of ice. Gripping the two weapons in his hands, he used the Demon Blood Sword to guard against Finn's weapon and used Sawyer's own weapon against him. The boy deflected the attack with his burning blade, but got sloppy as Ice Prince aggressively pushed down and stabbed his forearm - the tip puncturing a few inches into the boy's hand.

"What the?"

A large volume of bluish aura emanated from the weapon, enveloping him and its owner. In mere split-second, memories not his own mixed with his. At that moment, he knew, this boy, this angry and unfocused boy, was his brother. He survived the millennium through a powerful contraption, all in order to find him and get revenge for everything Ice Prince had done. But then, discordant images of a golden structure suspended in an infinitely beautiful sky, draped with countless stars, emerged.

He shook his head and threw away the weapon, just in time to evade a stab aimed at him by the persistent Finn. "Enough, man! I said enough!"

_Mertens! That's...! But how? The Citadel...of Truth?_

"The what?"

_Nevermind! Here comes your brother!_

A roaring fire engulfed him completely, easily melting away his ice armor and almost killed him if not for his quick reaction time in jumping away. In his haste, he completely forgot to watch out for the two guards, which caused him to stumble in panic to avoid the bullets. In response, he blasted the two pesky scums with sharpened discs of ice.

Everyone stopped moving at once.

Then the heads of the two guards dropped to the ground and rolled a few feet away from their respective bodies. The said bodies kneeled over a full second later.

"What the junk, man? You killed 'em!"

"Wait, I didn't mean to! I...I ...They were going to kill me!"

_Well, your brother doesn't really share your view on the matter, Mertens._

A fist collided hard on his unprotected face, knocking him down on the grassy earth. His head instantly throbbed painfully.

"Stop it, Ben! I'm your brother! I'm sorry I didn't knew! Let me ex-"

"Explain with this!"

Ice Prince closed his eyes as he saw the flaming sword soaring towards him, but no impact came. He opened his blue eyes and saw Finn leaning over him, his own blade in direct path against his brother's.

"You could die with that filth of a sibling!" The words stung him deeper than he thought.

An intense burning inferno unleashed from the orange weapon, enveloping them all. He can't let everything end that way. Not after he finally knew his brother is still alive.

_Are you sure, Finn? This could permanently change you to the Ice Prince again._

_I know I'm in the right hands, Flanna. I know you can make this work._

In a matter of split-second, he changed into the Ice Prince instantly. With one fluid motion, he reached for the flaming sword and touched the orange blade. The fire was instantly snuffed out. He savored the dumbfounded look on its wielder, taking his distraction as a chance to grab him by his hood and drive a knee to his face.

_Enough, Prince!_

The moment the mad Prince persona faded, his senses dulled again. This caused him to receive his brother's retaliation by headbutting him. Dazed, he saw that everyone was frantically scrambling away from one another. Ben was practically crawling towards the dead guards, reaching for one of the guns. Finn, on the other hand, was just a few feet away from Flame Princess.

He groggily stood up and ran after Finn, no longer having the strength to hover. "Don't take her away, man, please! Don't take away my Princess!"

"You! Finn! Suck on this!"

He watched as his brother fired indiscriminately with the gun in his hands. The force of each shot made him buckle his hands, causing wild shots zipping everywhere. Panicking, he instantly shielded Finn and Flame Princess with a wall of ice. By then, he was ready to close his eyes as he dropped down on all fours. He did not know what to do. He's exhausted, his brother is probably no longer right in the head, and his Princess could be taken away from him again. He killed what seemed to be humans.

"All for love. All for her."

_Mertens...Finn. Oh Finn..._

~~o~~

"Oh Glob." Finn frantically repeated the words as he saw the icy barrier get hailed down by flying metal thingies. He dared not to think what would those little bits of metal would do to his teenage boy body.

_If I took off now, Sawyer would instantly kill me with that thing..._

With one final resolve, he changed the Imatari into the combination of Demon Blood Soundsword and Grass Sword he was planning to use earlier. The transformation instantly made him dizzy, like his brain was ready to give away. Nevertheless, he raised the crimson weapon high in the air, flicked the blade to make it rotate, and shouted at the top of his lungs. The result was magnificent, the grass within a certain range around him elongated and produced a swirling vortex of wind and leaves that magnified the sound to heightened proportions. Inside the vortex, the sound was nulled though.

"Take this, Sawyer!"

A razor-sharp leaf guided by the wind launched directly at his enemy, who evaded just in time. Finn can't really see clearly through the harsh winds and leaves, but he knew the sound was disorienting Ice Prince and Sawyer.

"I can't keep this up for long..." The Imatari slowly lost its red coloring, even the rotation slowed a bit, and the sound lowered in intensity. Something red and hot dribbled from his left nostril, which he wiped. Blood. His blood. "This is bad."

_Marceline, Jake, where are you two? I'm about to die here, in this place I know little of. I knew things are totes the same here, but they're really not. There's...death. Real death. I don't even..._

_Even my thoughts aren't junkly in the right places, man. Forgive me, Cosmic Owl, I think my boy heart isn't enough to save their souls... Forgive me Prismo, I don't really know how to end this. _

"All for you, Flame Princess, even if you're not the Princess I know..."

~~o~~

Princess Bubblegum patiently persuaded her citizens to keep calm, to no avail. Some citizens cried that their hero probably died on his first real mission, pointing out to weird view live-streamed from the camera attached to the two Elite Licorice Force. The two cameras pointed straight into the blue sky, and the audio was cut off by a teeth chattering noise a few minutes later.

"Why didn't I attached one to the third one? Grod!" _Well, that one was just a driver. I doubt he'll actually see some action._

She gritted her teeth in annoyance, contemplating against contacting her champion in fear that she would just get in the way. As if on cue, her necklace communicator rang, which she hastily answered. On the other line was Say, of course, his voice garbled.

"Bonnie! Help me! Finn encased himself and the Princess of Flames in a tornado of leaves and winds. I can't come close enough to use my weapons! The moment he sees me, he tries to slice me apart!"

"Keep calm, Say! On your left biceps is the button for full body transparency. It'll make you virtually invisible from the naked eye, but the battery pack on your jacket won't last for long."

"How much time do I have?"

"Approximately 2 minutes before your jacket lose power altogether. Even communications won't work, Say!"

"Okay, Princess. I love you, if I survive this, I swear I'll make it- Shi-! Gotta go, bye!"

With a soft click, Say's voice was gone. Princess Bubblegum bit through her fingernails in nervousness, then she broke into a wide smile.

~~o~~

Deftly charging through the swirling winds and sharp grass, Sawyer ran to retrieve his Truthsayer which was stuck to the hard earth a few meters from the Prince, who was just staring at him passively with steadily drooping eyes. He contemplated on knocking him out. _You'll have your moment later._

_"_"I can do this!"

Sawyer broke into a run while he tucked away his weapons underneath his bloody sleeves, letting them jut out just by a feet. That way, he won't lose them against the foreboding wind and his steadily weakening grip because of bloodloss. In his haste, he failed to avoid a sharpened grass aimed at him which struck his right knee. He tripped and rolled along the grassy ground. Blood was freely pouring out of his knee making him cry in pain and frustration. He wasn't really near enough to the tornado to use the invisibility feature of his jacket.

"If I have to crawl..."_ I will effing do everything for Bonnie, my Mistress..._

~~o~~

Vera can't believe what she was seeing with her very own eyes. Three skilled warriors were fighting to the death. She just wished, Sawyer won't die prematurely in this particular battle, else her own plans would fail.

"This bush is a perfect hiding place, I guess."

She attentively watched how the three fought. Taking note of how Sawyer favor using cheap tricks and relying on his rage, Prince's calculated and well-thought attack patterns, and Finn's wild and unpredictable moves. In the end, it looked like Finn would win the day.

"Who wouldn't by summoning a frigging grass tornado?"

Sawyer was on the move now, limping badly by the wound on his right knee. Vera couldn't't believe that he was still up after that savage swipe, and he could even run in short bursts. That is until the boy touched something in his biceps that made him disappear completely. Vera rubbed her eyes vigorously and found out that Sawyer really disappeared, in plain sight.

"Bloody spawn of Nightosphere! What -"

The tornado was visually ripped along the side, a momentary hole appearing, before the whole towering turbulence exploded into violent blasts of wind and dangerous leaves. The force was enough to uproot the bush she was crouching behind and she flying high in the air, landing hard on her back a few feet away. She was about to sit up when a particular leaf nearly cleaved her head.

"My Assassin trainings failed to prepare me for this, huh?"

Some of her Tarot cards were strewn about the immediate area. Six to be exact, she was about to retrieve them when she notice that they were grouped into three and lay in parallel with the Ice Prince and Finn. _The Fate have spoken, again?_

A loud pained yell disrupted her thoughts, easily grabbing her attention. There in the middle of a nicely-sized crater, were two figures; one was standing apprehensively in a low stance, the other shaking uncontrollably on the ground.

"I'll need a closer look."

~~o~~

I tell yah, this chapter is actually shorter than the previous one. Seems like, you folks don't really have the time to read super long chapters. I'm sorry for that. I'm planning to divide that and this one if that was true.

The Season Finale was...a bit meh. At least they're using the Crystal Citadel now! I'm really excited to know how inaccurate my depiction of it! Haha!

Nephilim: Hey dude. If you think the Earth Armor is cool, wait for some more ideas I have in mind!

Ooobserver: Howdy! I think I went overboard with the 7k words. It's a bit too long, but nothing plot related really happened. Haha.

Thanks for the reviews guys! Feel free to criticize me whenever you like!

Better get back to work on my final editing of my thesis now!


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